


But Tonight, You Belong to Me

by néamhni (uaigneach)



Series: 2018 In-Class Works [29]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Phantom of the Opera Fusion, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Dancer Allura (Voltron), Dancer Keith (Voltron), Dark Shiro (Voltron), Endgame Keith/Shiro, Eventual Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Galaxy Garrison, Gay Keith (Voltron), James Griffin (Voltron) Being an Asshole, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith is Christine, Keith/Shiro (Voltron)-centric, Lance is Raoul, M/M, Minor Keith/Lance (Voltron), One-Sided Keith/Lance (Voltron), Orphan Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Possessive Behavior, Possessive Shiro (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Shiro is the Phantom, Singer Keith (Voltron), Singer Shiro (Voltron), Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), that's basically it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-09-26 14:03:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17143118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uaigneach/pseuds/n%C3%A9amhni
Summary: the Phantom of the Opera AU that literally only I wanted.When Keith first moved into the Altea Theatre and Opera House, he did not expect to get tangled up in a web of mystery and romance all surround a mysterious vocal coach who lives in the walls.Keith's life had never been normal, but between dodging the unwanted advances of his guardian's distant cousin and trying to make a place for himself on the stage, he's pretty much hit his limit.Still, the burning question remains: who is Shiro?





	1. You're a Part of my Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for the ugly formatting and if there are any mistakes. I wrote all of this out by hand so between that and typing it, I might have made some mistakes. 
> 
> also, disclaimer: this is not a klance positive fic. Keith does not end up with lance and he just does a lot of pining and advances Keith isn't all that comfortable with. Sheith is the endgame and if you do not like the ship than please just quietly leave and don't read. There are plenty of perfectly valid reasons for not believing in the ship and even hating it. Let's keep things civil here please - this is just something that I decided to write in my free time. Thank you for reading!

    When Keith first arrived at the opera house, he was nothing more than a boy.

 

    He’d grown up on a farm with just him and his father. His mother --- a woman by the name of Krolia whom he was said to greatly resemble --- had died giving birth to him, so his father was all he’d ever known. His father had worked as a fireman up until he took on a little too much and burned down with a house and family while desperately trying to save them. It was all for naught, but Keith’s father was declared a hero nonetheless.

    Even though he left behind a son with no penny of worth to his name, he was still regarded in that happy shining light. It made Keith sick.

    Keith had bounced from house to house for a while with no one deciding that they want him. And so, he was sent to the opera house at the tender age of 10 years old. The opera house was considered a last resort by the locals, but the dance instructor there was supposedly very kind and was able to take in orphans (she already had 2 under her wings, although the older Holt had gone off to school) because her uncle ran the theatre. It was a family theatre too, so she would inherit should something happen to Coran Altea.

    She had looked at his case file --- eyeing every comment on his violent, aggressive and insolent nature with careful consideration --- before declaring that he just needed to channel his feelings into something and accepted him into her small family. It was there, that he met Katie “Pidge” Holt. She too, had had issues upon arrival at the opera house and had gone for dance like Allura. It wasn’t her passion though, and when she was old enough, she was planning on following in her brother’s footsteps and studying engineering with the full support of the Altea family.

    Until then though, she was content to dance.

 

    At first, Keith had been very apprehensive about staying at the opera house. Allura was a strict woman and insisted he practiced until his movements were fluid and precise. He wasn’t a natural born dancer, but luckily he was a quick study. He wasn’t crazy about maths and all the other wonderful things that Pidge liked to study, so he found himself spending more and more time dancing. This pleased Allura greatly, since both of her previous wards had chosen to not continue with dance.

    Keith didn’t really mind her pinning her dreams of a legacy onto him. He’d grown to love dancing and the feeling of releasing his emotions through motion. He was far less aggressive and much more accepted by society, even if he was still a bit awkward with people. It wasn’t his fault that his interactions were limited to Pidge, Allura and Coran. The others in the opera house minded their own business and didn’t bother the family. After the tragedy that ended Allura’s engagement to Lotor Galra, no one stepped above their station around the owners and their family. THe footman with sticky fingers had been promptly thrown out and never spoken of again.

    And so, Keitch became quite the theatre child; always in the rafters and backstage to watch the real actors and actresses put on shows every night. He threw himself into the life and never once looked back with anything resembling regret. It was magical and Keith was instantly fascinated. ALlura was over the moon when he told her he wanted to learn more so that he could also perform.

 

    When Keith was 12, he performed in his first show.

 

* * *

 

    For Keith, life was pretty good. He had a friend, a roof over his head, and a career path. Everything was looking up right up until a new arrival was announced at the opera house A distant relation from the Griffin family was planning on sending over one of their many sons to study vocals and performance under Coran. Coran was, of course, flattered and agreed with gusto. Allura, on the other hand, was much more skeptical. She’d had a run in with the patriarch of the Griffin branch of the family before and he’d made many inappropriate advances on her despite the fact that she’d had a fiance at the time _and_ he was married. She was convinced that he wanted her father’s legacy and refused to look at the new arrival with anything but disdain.

    Needless to say, Allura was going into this with a prejudice.

    Don’t get him wrong, Keith was also walking into this with a prejudice. Not only had Pidge told him all about the thing with Allura, but she’d also done her thing and dug into the Griffin family to find out who was being sent.

    The one being sent went by the name James Griffin, the youngest son and second youngest child. As such, he was spoiled rotten and has developed a somewhat arrogant and diva-ish personality complex. He kept an assistant named Veronica McClain, who by all accounts was an absolute sweetheart and a very helpful.  They were childhood friends, but due to the class difference, Griffin took her on as an assistant so that they could stay together and Veronica wouldn’t have to find a job to support herself and her very large family. It was arguably the only ‘nice’ thing that James Griffin had ever done.

    Veronica however, wasn’t a good reflection of James’ character. In fact, it was something that puzzled Pidge to no end. Veronica was --- in her words --- a “cinnamon roll” and James was such an “overripe banana” so their friendship was “implausible”. According to every rumour and 1st and 2nd hand accounts, James was a major douche-wipe. He was rude and arrogant and seemed to think that all the ladies went him regardless of the fact that he was only a year older than Keith.

    This information didn’t exactly fill Keith with reassurance. In fact, he was more certain than ever that James would be bad news. Still, Allura urged him to keep an open mind and hold his temper. It was difficult for Keith to imagine that he’d ever get along with a guy like that though, but he’d try his best. He wasn’t making any promises, and Allura seemed reasonably content with that reality.

 

    To get his mind off of James Griffin’s imminent arrival, Keith decided that he was going to start learning how to sing. He liked dancing in the back just fine, but sometimes there was that longing to be centre stage and recognized for once. He wasn’t the best actor, so that wouldn’t carry him. He liked to think that he was a good dancer, but he wouldn’t be able to succeed in theatre with only 1 of the 3 essential skills. However, he didn’t really want to bring it up with Allura because out of the two of them, Lotor had been the vocalist.

    So of course he went to Pidge. He didn’t really know how or what that would accomplish exactly, but Pidge was smart so surely she could come up with something.

 

    “So what you’re saying is that you want to try to sing? _Why_?” Pidge grumbled as she fiddled with a needle and some shiny bits she was supposed to be adding onto a bodice. “I thought you liked dancing.”

    Keith rolled his eyes and flopped down on the ground beside her. “I do like dancing. I just want to do _more_.”

    Pidge rolls her eyes. “Well, what do you want me to do about it? It’s not like I’m a singer.”

    “But you are good at music. Singers need to be able to read music, right? You can teach me!” He protested. “You also have ears --- you can tell me if I’m a lost cause or not, like you did with my acting.”

    “You’re not the worst actor, Keith.” Pidge reminded him in that long suffering way of hers. “You just struggle with being anyone that isn’t you. If you can connect with a character and imagine that you can feel what they feel, then you’re golden. You just need to work on immersing yourself into the character’s head to the piano room.”

    The piano room was a room in the basement of the building. It had a bunch of old costumes stacked in one corner and there was a gorgeous old grand piano. Almost no one even entered that room except Pidge, so it was a pretty good spot for them to go see if Keith had a future as a lead role or not.

    The room was empty when they got there, and Pidge immediately sat down and started plunking at the keys to warm up. “Alrighty Keith-y boy, let’s see what you can do. Any song requests or do you want to sing acapella?”

    “If you can give me a starting note? Or uhh… the piano is probably really out of tune, huh. I’ll just uh… sing.” Keith said awkwardly, leaning gingerly on the piano, slightly afraid to damage the old instrument. He took a shaky breath before starting to sing.

 

_Now that you’ve found me_

_My[whole world is brighter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGE24_b7M6s)  
_

_Now that you’ve touched me_

_My steps are much lighter_

_All of this world could decided to fall inward_

_And you would still linger_

 

    It was an old song that he remembered hearing a lot as a kid. His father used to say that it was his mother’s favourite song and he’d wanted Keith to know it by heart. He had actually almost forgotten what it sounded like by the time he’d been with the theatre for a year.

 

_Something has brought us together_

_Unspoken_

_Feigning reality, friendship, and wisdom_

_I will defend you_

_I’ll keep you beside me_

_That’s how I’ll repay all the kindness you’ve shown_

 

    He trailed off a bit awkwardly as he realized that Pidge was staring at him. He hadn’t sung in forever so his voice may be a little raspy. It wasn’t like he’d warmed up either… okay so maybe he wasn’t cut out for opera. His voice was kinda low. “Was that okay?” he asked nervously.

    Pidge stared at him for a moment blinking like an owl behind her large circular glasses. “Keith…” she said quietly, “that was, so good??? Like… we can make a theatre singer out of you yet.” And then she cracked her fingers and wiggled then around in the air before grinning sinisterly. “Let’s get started.”

 

* * *

 

    Keith was walking out of the piano room with a bounce in his steps. He’d stayed behind in the piano room for an extra hour or so after Pidge left to work on some of the exercises that Pidge suggested. She said that he had a good voice he just needed to work on his range and volume. He had a nice soft voice, but being able to belt (and belt in a decent range) was kind of required if he wanted to be successful in theatre. He could dance, and he could sometimes act. All he needed to work on was his singing technique.

    He was almost giddy with excitement and eager to work hard. He didn’t want to work his voice too much in one day though, so he was careful to stop shortly before the curfew that Allura had set. Everything was going fine for about 5 seconds after he left the piano room. Then he realized that the lights were all out and he was in the very bottom of the basement space below the opera house.

    Keith wasn’t one to be scared of the dark, but he could admit that in the low light, the basement corridors were very unsettling  There was torn wallpaper and empty picture frames on the walls. The only bit of light came from a candle at the end of the hal in front of a floor length mirror and on a small wooden table. It flickered weakly, highlighting its surroundings with a soft yellow glow.

    He started to walk down the hall with careful, measured steps. He was a dancer (and before that, a fighter) so he was light on his feet and silent when he needed to be. He didn’t run, merely walked at a brisk pace, the bounce in his steps diminishing. Of course, that’s when the singing started.

 

_Now that you’ve found me_

_I’ve stumbled through fire_

_Now that you’ve touched me_

_I’ve bloomed like a flower_

 

    The voice was haunting as its soft murmur echoed and bounced in the corridor. The voice was slightly deeper than Keith’s own natural voice and it held a bit more vibrato too. Although, it might be just Keith’s mind playing tricks on him, but the voice held a dark, almost watery quality to it. Keith felt uneasy and he froze momentarily as the peculiar imitation of the song he sang earlier continued.

 

_Now that you’re with me_

_I no longer cower in silence, hiding_

_I’m fighting for you_

 

_I’m fighting for you_

 

    He stared straight ahead at the mirror, watching the terror flicker over his own features. He took a shuddering step forwards. “Is there anyone here with me?” Stupid question seeing as someone had obviously just sang him a song, but he didn’t recognize the voice as anyone that currently worked at the opera house and that immediately worried Keith. There should be no reason for a stranger to be in the basement creepily singing a song that he shouldn’t know. It was an old song passed down through families from the same tribe.

    It was ancient and Keith had yet to meet someone who knew the song like he did (because versions vary). In fact, the only way that someone should know those verses were if they heard him singing to himself in the last hour…

    “Hello, Keith. I’ve been _dying_ to talk to you.”

    Keith damn near jumped out of his skin. “Holy shit, holy shit, holyshitholysh---” he cursed before fucking booking it down the hallway and towards that candle. He clutched onto the handle tightly as he waved the candle around as if searching for the disembodied voice. “Who’s there?” he demands harshly.

    “You can call me ‘Shiro’.”

    Keith nearly dropped the candle in his shock. Despite hearing the voice again, he still couldn’t tell where the voice was even coming from. It was unsettling and the awful sensation of being watched settled over his senses. “What do you want?” His voice was shaky and he was trembling. He clenched his fist tighter in an effort to look more composed. He didn’t know what the fuck was happening or why he wasn’t booking it. It wasn’t like this mysterious voice was doing anything to actually physically stop him from leaving. That was all him.

    “I’ve been watching you, Keith. Where you lack in natural talent, you make up for with passion and hard work. Talent is important --- and you do have a gift, I assure you --- but passion and hardwork make you great. This opera house could use a lot more of that.”

    The voice was much warmer than it had sounded before. Now the odd hissing watery quality was gone, leaving behind a very human sounding man. Without the distortion, Shiro sounded much younger. He actually sounded like a teenager --- this fact mistified Keith. But Shiro wasn’t done talking yet.

    “You’re something special, Keith. I know you can be something great and I want to help you do that. Your friend can only help you so much --- let me teach you to not just sing, but _perform._ ”

    In that moment, Keith was reminded of a story that his father had told him long long ago. It was about a deity that came to those who needed them. How he appeared depending on the person in need, but the legend goes that the deity does help. However his father never told him what happened when the help was done. He called the deity an ‘Angel of Music’/ He claimed that Keith’s mother had been his angel.

    Could Shiro be Keith’s?

    He knew things about Keith, and him being an angel would be a good reason for him to know and to be there. But still…

    “What do you get out of it? Help is never free?” he found himself asking. Shiro chuckled, the warmth in his tone plain to hear and working towards relaxing Keith further. He sounded so nice.

    “I’m lonely, Keith. I also happen to care about this theatre and the family that owns it. Alfor Altea once did me a great favour, and I want to see his family succeed. You’re part of that and I know you can be great if you have a teacher.”

    Keith didn’t really know how to respond, Would he be a fool to trust this unknown entity? Was this all in his imagination?

    “I’ll see you in the old piano room tomorrow night. Come alone.”

    Keith waited another moment for Shiro to continue, but he seemed content to remain silent after that last comment. Keith left his candle, taking the opportunity to sneak off to bed. It was long past curfew.

   

    And that’s how Keith ended up with an angel for a teacher.

 

* * *

 

    To be perfectly honest, Keith hadn’t been expecting all that much when he walked into the music room. He’d caught a lucky break when Pidge had told him that she’d help him once a week, so Keith was freer to spend some time in the evening in the old piano room.

    He didn’t really know what he was expecting, but for some reason, it wasn’t an empty room. Maybe he thought that Shiro might be there in the room.

 

    It turns out that Shiro had zero intentions of revealing himself to Keith and had taken to coaching him from wherever the fuck he was hiding. (Was he in the fucking walls?!) But Keith couldn’t complain because he still learned and with Shiro’s combination of forceful and supportive teaching methods---

 

_“Patience yields focus, Keith.”_

_“Bullshit. I’ll never get this.”_

_“Yes, you will. It just takes time. Now, again.”_

_“Ugh.”_

 

    ---Keith improved. In fact, he improved so rapidly, that Pidge took notice, forcing Keith’s hand in revealing his secret angel.

    “Dude! How are you improving so fast? Your rate of improvement has increased exponentially. No offence, but I _know_ you. There’s no way you could do this on your own and I know you still haven’t told anyone about learning how to sing. I would have hear about it.” Pidge yelled as she burst into the piano room.

    Keith awkwardly looked up from the simple sheet music that he’d been trying to sing through and stared wide eyed at Pidge as she plonked down next to him. “Um… it’s a secret?”

    “Yeah, nice to try, asshat.” Pidge deadpanned. “Try again.”

    Keith wilted and sighed. “I mean… I don’t know if it’s my secret to tell… but while you’re busy during the week, I have been taking lessons with someone. He’s why I can read sheet music now.”

    Pidge actually looked excited. “Really?! Who is it? Come on, you can tell me!” she urged.

    Keith sighed, knowing that the second that he opened his mouth he would look like an idiot. “His name is Shiro.”

    Pidge frowned. “I’ve never heard that name.”

    “You wouldn’t have. I didn’t even know that someone lives here with that name. I don’t think anyone else knows either. He came to me late at night back on the first day and offered to teach me. He’s like my own angel of music.”

    Pidge snickered. “An ‘angel of music’? Keith what are you _on_. Keith, you’re an atheist, why would you believe that this ‘Shiro’ is an angel, of all things?”

    Keith blushes, his entire face going a bright red. “Pidge!” he hissed, “he could be listening.” He paused for a moment as if waiting for Shiro to materialize and yell at him or something. When nothing came, he continued. “I may not believe that God exists, but to me, Shiro is an angel. It was like he appeared just when I needed him. He is just… something else, you know?”

    “Oooo, someone has a crush~”

    “Of fuck you, Pidge.”

 

    But really that’s sort of what it had turned into; his relationship with Shiro. It wasn’t something that Keith had planned --- how could you plan for that? --- but the more time that Keith spent with Shiro watching over him, the more he began to trust him. For Keith, that was a lot. It took him forever to actually _trust_ someone. Heck, despite the amount of time that he’d been living with Allura, he still didn’t trust her. Part of that might be due to her being his legal guardian…

    The point is he only really trusted Pidge at this point. Well, Pidge and now Shiro. He might not have so much as seen the man in person, but he was just so easy to trust. He listened when Keith spoke and didn’t judge him for his shoddy education. He was patient and kind. How could Keith not fall in love with one of the first people to actually show him kindness without any strings attached?

 

* * *

 

    For the next two years, everything fell into a routine. Keith and Pidge danced in the operas and Pidge worked in secret with Keith on his vocals and later acting skills. While Pidge worked on studying, Keith worked with Shiro on everything and anything. Shiro pointed out the flaws in Keith’s technique and helped him fix those errors. He patiently helped him grow, not only as a performer, but also as a person.

    And Keith, inevitably fell more and more in love, always remaining silent about his secret adoration for his teacher.

 

    The entire thing was a rather outrageous fanfare. Keith wanted to claw his eyes out with a rusty spoon as soon as he set eyes upon the other teenager. James was wearing a crisp suit done up in what can only be called a ‘modern’ design with Veronica trailing after him with a long-suffering look on her face.

    James himself was built like what Pidge would call a ‘twink’ although he did have a bit more muscle definition than what Keith was lead to believe that a twink had. Despite being about 15 himself, he lacked baby fat making all of his features sharp, pointed, and slightly upturned. He had an even tan complexion that contrasted with his deep brown hair. He had an ever present sneer on his face and walked around like he was God’s gift to the lowly plebeians that they were.

    In contrast, Veronica was much more welcoming in appearance. She was a slight thing, only coming up to Griffin’s shoulder. She had her wavy hair cropped in a bob and circular glasses perched on her delicate nose. Her skin was a beautiful mocha colour maybe 4 shades lighter than Allura’s. She also had deep brown hair, although on Griffin the colour only washed him out. She wore soft blues and seemed to be similar to Pidge in personality if Keith’s original interaction with her meant anything. She even complimented Keith and Pidge’s matching ponytails.

    Of course when this was pointed out, Griffin immediately seized the chance and declared he wouldn’t even bother to learn Keith’s name because associating with someone who wears their hair in a mullet was beneath him.

    Keith wasn’t pleased. Veronica and Pidge laughed nervously.

 

    The following weeks were nothing short of absolutely awful.

    Keith and all the other back up dancers were treated like servants by Griffin and Allura wasn’t around enough to even try to put a stop to it. She just stayed out of the way, too busy with organizing their next show and how they would work around having so many young people in the theatre.

    Keith resented Griffin’s presence but comforted himself with the fact that he still had Pidge and Shiro. Pidge had made friends with Veronica, but she didn’t spend any less time with him and he wasn't about to begrudge her of having more friends.

    (Children of the theatre were always lonely.)

    Keith was content because nothing had changed for him where it really mattered.

    Well… up until he heard Griffin sing.

 

    He had stayed late one day to work on some dance backstage while the vocal practices occurred and he’d heard Griffin just belt his heart out on that stage. The teen could sing louder than any other singer at the Altea opera house and it had to be one of the best operatic voices that Keith had ever heard.

    He may not like the other teen, but he couldn’t deny that Griffin was one hell of a singer.

    Of course, this sparked Keith’s inadequacy issues and he was sent running down to the basement. He didn’t dare head to the old piano room but he knew the basement of the opera house well enough that he had some hidey holes that even Pidge didn’t know about. She was off with Veronica backstage right now, so it wasn’t like she’d come to find him but he didn’t want to take any chances. It was instinct for him to run and hide when confronted with a reality that he didn’t want to think about.

    This time, it was the fact that Griffin was a phenomenal singer. James was loud, Keith had no doubt that everyone in the opera house had heard James singing. That meant that _Shiro_ heard Griffin sing.

 

    What if Shiro wanted to teach Griffin instead of him now?

 

    That thought was what really sent Keith into apanic. He had so few people in his life that made it bearable. Going back to only having Pidge (he was under no illusions that Pidge would start hanging out with him less and less as she got closer with Veronica --- he couldn’t blame her for wanting a female friend) and maybe not even that, would probably destroy him. Both Pidge and Allura liked to call him the strong and silent type --- he had learned that keeping his mouth shut was often the best course of action after one of the actors beat him black and blue for asking questions where he shouldn’t have been --- but that was far from the truth.

    Keith wasn’t strong. He just knew better than to rely on others. Or so he thought, anyways.

    He’d come to rely an awful lot on Shiro as of late and now… well now he was going to lose _that_ pillar of support. That would be completely and utterly devastating. He would be alone all over again and Keith can’t handle being alone. He can barely remember a time without Shiro there by his side to listen to him and watch over him. Shiro was just always there. Even when Keith didn’t realize it.

    To others that might seem creepy, but to Keith that was very reassuring. Being alone was just something that no one should ever have to experience. To Keith, that was as plain as day.

    But here comes in James Griffin, too good to acknowledge the skills of others as having any merit whatsoever. He was talented and loud and charismatic. He had strong masculine features and a ‘killer smile that always charmed the ladies’. He loved people yet was also aloof, and despite being a dick at the best of times, he was still loved by many of the performers. Coran had certainly taken a shining to him, unlike his own rather awkward relationship with Keith. He called Keith ‘number 4’ while Griffin got called his own name. Pidge was unfortunately saddled with ‘Katie’ but at least it was her own name.

    So yeah, Griffin was everything Keith wasn’t and that _burned_. He’d been struggling for years with feelings of never being good enough, but then Shiro had been working on them with him. He was always there with kind words and a soothing presence. He told Keith that he was important and that he cared about Keith that he was important and that he cared about Keith. Sometimes when Shiro spoke with a softer voice, he assured Keith that Pidge and Allura loved him too.

    But sometimes Shiro’s voice went a little funny and he’d get a bit more closed off. He would grumble about how Keith deserved love and that even when everyone else left that he would always be there for Keith because Keith was his.

    It might sound a bit creepy, but to Keith it was just reassuring. He didn’t mind the slightly possessive tone in his angel’s voice.

    What _was_ bothering him now was the good chance that he’s going to lose Shiro. Surely SHiro would no longer want him --- a _dancer_ \--- when there was someone much more gifted available. If Shiro had been able to make Keith into a good singer, then surely he could propel Griffin to new heights. Griffin would probably be a better student too. He’d understand what Shiro was talking about and he’d have natural talent to help too. Keith had to work for days to do what James could do. It would be much more rewarding for Shiro to teach James.

    Who would choose Keith over literally anyone else?

    He got frustrated easily and was prone to violence. He still didn’t understand social norms all that well and he knew it was frustrating for Shiro when some things came easily one day and then he couldn’t do half as good the next day. Griffin was nothing if not consistent. He sounded the same every time. His voice and technique were very distinct.

    Shiro was going to leave him just like everyone else.

    He burst through a series of doors before collapsing in a corner. Then, he sobbed into his knees as violent tremors wracked his frame. He wasn’t ready to let go of Shiro. He was too selfish for that and that thought only made him sob harder because Shiro was so _good_ and deserved much better than Keith, but Keith stod in the way of potential happiness.

    He felt absolutely awful.

 

    “Keith! What happened?”

    Shiro’s voice coming from the wall beside Keith only made him sob harder. Of course, Shiro had found him. He’d been foolish to think that he could hide from the older teen in his own domain. Stupid, _stupid_ Keith. Fuck.

    “Keith, you need to breath okay? Listen to me, alright? You’re okay.”

    Shiro continued to speak softly, his voice sweet and calm as he coaxed Keith out of his corner and hysteria. Slowly (and reluctantly) Keith’s tears dried and Keith was left furiously rubbing his eyes and dreading leaving his room tomorrow and having Griffin make fun of him for the evident red rim that would no doubt be there after a cry like this. There was a noticeably happier and warmer tone in Shiro’s voice as he spoke after Keith stopped crying.

    “There now. Do you feel better?”

    Keith shook his head and shoved his face into his kneecaps and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “No.” he mumbled.

    “Do you want to talk about it?”

    The concern was evident and Keith’s heart broke even more. Shiro was just so _good_. How could he possibly burden this man with his pathetic problems.

    “Not really.”

    “You were sobbing and hiding, Keith. I really think that you should. You’ll feel better after you do, I promise. Just tell me what’s wrong --- I’ll fix it.”

    Keith very nearly broke down again. This wonderful, wonderful man was willing to do so much for him. He owed him his honesty if nothing else. He licked his lips before beginning to speak quietly. “You know how we got that new singer from the Griffin family? Well he arrived and has begun rehearsing with the cast. He’s really talented, but still young. Coran was raving about how phenomenal he could be if only he had a tutor.”

    He could practically hear the frown in Shiro’s voice. He knew that he’d disapprove.

    “Well that’s no reason to be upset, Keith. You’ve made incredibly leaps and bands since you started learning.”

    He wasn’t getting it and it made Keith want to peel all of his skin off and bury himself in the bloody mess. “That’s not it, Shiro.” he mumbled. “He’s insanely talented and needs a tutor. Shiro… I’m… _not_ talented.” he struggled to get the words out. He’d had a difficulty with communicating his feelings since he was born (his father had liked to brag about how he hadn’t been a fussy child but that was only because he hadn’t cried) and he cursed that disability again. Fortunately for him, Shiro was good at understanding Keith even when he himself didn’t.

    “You’re afraid I’m going to leave you to teach James.”

    Keith winced at how matter-of-fact Shiro sounded. Hearing it said out loud made it seem all the more real and he felt tears well up in his eyes all over again. There was also the fact that Shiro knew Griffin’s first name. Shiro knew perfectly well who Griffin was --- he didn’t need to ask Keith what was wrong. Like always, he knew what had happened. “Yes.” his voice cracked, thick with emotion.

    “Keith… you now I’ll never leave you. You’re mine as much as I am yours. I don’t need you to be the best and I don’t want to teach Griffin. I chose _you,_ Keith. I’m not going to just abandon something new comes along.”

    His angel’s voice started off soft but the more he spoke the silkier it got. At first the warmth of how much he cared was tangible, but then it became a bit… darker until it eventually took on the odd watery quality that sometimes coloured Shiro’s voice.

    “Keith… you’re mine. Don’t think that I’m going to let you go because you think that someone is more worthy than you. I assure you, no one else can hold my attention and affection like you.”


	2. Once More Just to Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so sorry if any of the characters are out of character or if there are too many inaccuracies. I have gone over this text as best as I could, but I'm sure I missed typos considering that this is over 14 thousand words. This update was rather quick and that's purely because I had sort of been sleeping on the first part. I was under the impression that I could put everything up at once but I've decided against that. 
> 
> Um so I've included links for the songs (let me know if one of them is broken!) so go and support the Phantom of the Opera. It's an amazing show and I love writing my own version following a similar storyline.

    After Keith broke down and Shiro comforted him, their relationship had only grown stronger.

    Shiro had continued to teach him and motivated by the fact that he was now faced with the reality that he was unlikely to get roles because Griffin  _ was  _ there, Keith improved by leaps and bounds. He worked super hard so that Shiro could be proud of him and not regret his decision to teach Keith and not Griffin. He wasn’t going to be useless. If Shiro thought him worthy. He’s pretty damn proud of where he was now. 

    He still hadn’t told anyone other than Pidge that he wanted to be a main performer and not just a back-up dancer or ensemble member. He was sure that Allura would be thrilled, but deep down, even after all this time, he still didn’t really trust her. He knows that it hurts her feelings, but it wasn’t really her fault. Keith was just screwed up.

    He’d done his best to stay afloat, but during this time, he’d also had the opportunity to meet Griffin face to face, officially that is. That… didn’t go well.

 

* * *

 

_     Keith had been minding his own business and stretching on the stage while waiting for Allura to call all the dancers to attention so that they could begin stage rehearsal when it happened.  _

_     Griffin strutted onto the stage like a peacock, sneering and strutting. It was kind of like watching a younger student walk into dance lessons with Allura thinking that they’ve already trained under someone so they’ll be showing Allura up (they quickly found out that this was not true).  _

_     Actually, Keith hadn’t even seen Griffin come in because he had his back to the entry way as he pulled his leg up as far as it could go. Considering Keith had been dancing to Allura’s standards for a long time, he was  _ _ very  _ _ flexible. He slowly released his leg, bending over so that his body was perpendicular to the vertical line that his legs now made.  _

_     “Oh my god, Kogane. Stop showing off. We get it, you’re a dancer.” Griffin sneered, not even breaking his stride as he moved across the stage.  _

_     If Keith had had any less self-control than he did, he would have fallen over out of surprise at the sudden appearance of Griffin. Now Keith couldn’t be too overtly rude since Allura was right there and would most definitely punish him, so he settled for holding his position and craning hi sneck in an unnatural owl-like manner to freak Griffin out. “Who are you again? I don’t remember any new dancers.” _

_     He knew full well who Griffin was, but he figured someone as self-important as Griffin would be bothered by someone not knowing who they were. And he was right. _

_     “Excuse me?” Griffin balked, freezing before turning slowly to turn and stare coolly at Keith who was standing effortlessly in his odd stretch. “I’ll have you know that I’m one of the main characters in this production so show some respect for your betters. Although with an idiot like you… I can’t expect too much now can I. How many years have you been studying here? And you’re still only a dancer.” Griffin snorted. _

_     Keith wanted to throttle him, but was forced into merely spitting out “I’m a dancer. My betters are Allura and the senior members of this theatre.” _

_     Griffin raised an eyebrow. “What gives you the right to call Ms. Altea ‘Allura’?  You’re awfully cocky for some nobody.” he spat before stalking off and leaving Keith to his stretching in a huff. _

 

* * *

 

__ And then it was like after that moment, Griffin absolutely hated Keith. 

He seemed to go out of his way to just always be  there.  There usually happened to be in the same room as Keith whenever possible. It was like he had just decided that he was going to be an important part of Keith’s day. To Keith, that was an awful thing. He didn’t mind spending time with Veronica because she was pretty chill and it was kind of like having a second more chill Pidge, but wherever Veronica went, so did James Griffin. Or at least that was the case when Keith was present. Pidge didn’t seem to like Griffin all that much either (even Veronica was hard pressed to list any of his good qualities although she insisted there were some) but she never complained so she couldn’t really be dealing with him that much… right?

Griffin never really did anything to them, but he did make snide comments under his breath damn near constantly. Keith didn’t understand  why  Griffin was even bothering with them. Keith knew that he wasn’t a dancer, so maybe he wanted to learn dancing without being humiliated by something? Maybe he wants Allura’s attention… Either way, Keith had no idea what was happening he just knew that he wanted Griffin to stop bothering them.

Pidge found Keith’s disgruntlement really funny and in fact got along swimmingly with Veronica and at least civilly with Griffin. She called him James and he didn’t snap at her, so Keith considered that pretty damn good. Keith was even more disgruntled by that perceived betrayal. At least she hadn’t truly made friends with Griffin and she hadn’t told either of them about his singing lessons. Well, as far as he knows. 

Keith was fine with Veronica because she was cordial to him and good to Pidge. 

 

(And Pidge deserves more friends than just him. She would never ask, but Keith knew she sometime swished for someone that understood her obsession with math. 

Keith was simple. Sometimes too simple.)

 

All in all, Keith had had an interesting couple of years. He still had yet to ever audition for anything that wasn’t ensemble despite both Pidge and Shiro’s urging. He just didn’t think he was really all that ready for it. It wasn’t something that he believed he could do it yet. Especially not with Griffin improving as dramatically as he already had. If Griffin had been skilled when he’d first arrived, then technically he’d improved leaps and bounds since then. Coran was apparently a very good vocal coach. Interesting. 

    Not much really changed with the theatre either. It was just as prosperous as always and with the new young blood they had, the theatre was sure to prosper for years to come. Coran was still in his middle ages (or so Pidge and Keith theorized --- he was kind of ageless really) and Allura was in her late 20’s at the oldest so unless there was some kind of accident, then the Altea family theatre would be around for a long time. Maybe Keith could even take over as a partner when he was old enough. Wouldn’t that be great?

    Things were doing very well at the Altea family theatre. However, with success comes more and more responsibility. With both Allura and Coran being instructors, (Allura with dance and stage direction when she had time and Coran with the orchestra and Griffin), they were already stretched thin. They were also still in need of some kind of vocal coach too because Coran taking on Griffin during his introductory years was already too much. Pidge, for her part, handled as much of the books as Allura would allow her to and Keith had started taking over dance lessons, but it still wasn’t really enough. 

    This is what encouraged Griffin to speak up one day at the end of a rehearsal. “Ms. Altea? I was wondering if you’d be open to a business venture, if you will.” he said in that arrogant way of his. 

    Allura raised an eyebrow, not stopping as she put her hair up in a buna as she responded. “And what would this venture be?”

    “Well, before I came here along with Ms. McClain here---” Griffin began with a victorious grin, “---attended an arts school called the gArrison. They have a local campus with students that want some real world experience. Veronica’s brother, for example, is a stage director and in my professional opinion, quite good --- and I don’t say that lightly.”

    Veronica nodded eagerly after passing a cup of water to James. “There are plenty of other majors also that could greatly lend a hand for different aspects of the theatre. There would be more workers available and the students will get experience. It’s a win-win situation.” Griffin smirked, “and the McClain family have an old blood alliance with the Altea family. Perhaps Lance could become a permanent partner given time, keeping the theatre in family.”

    Keith growled under his breath at the blatant dismissal of both the Holts and himself. They were just as much family as any blood relation. 

    “I do not need you to remind me of my family history Mr. Griffin. Need I remind you you’re only family through marriage?” Allura snapped, clearly displeased with how Griffin chose to go about this. “And wipe that smirk off your face. I’ll have you know that the garrison has already reached out to us and I’ve accepted. Lance McClain will be pioneering the program and in two weeks time we’ll be welcoming 8 newcomers to the theatre.” She announced before storming off in a huff.

 

    For the next two weeks, the theatre would be in a huff about the mysterious Lance McClain. After all, Allura didn’t just name drop casually. 

    Everyone was speculating about the new McClain. Perhaps he’d be just like Veronica (they were siblings after all), but then Griffin had also given him endorsement so who knows. THat endorsement also means that however McClain acts, he had to very competent. Griffin was notorious for being quite the primadonna and a perfectionist. Despite his relationship (romantic? Platonic? No one knows but everyone wonders) with Veronica McClain, him deeming someone competent just seemed so outlandish. He barely respected  _ Allura  _ sometimes. It was unbelievable.

It was inconceivable.

    For those two weeks, rumours and speculation ran rampant amongst the employees and Keith was not spared from this. 

    Due to Griffin’s dismissal of the Holt siblings and Keith in the matter of being the heir (or heiress) to the theatre, people had begun to talk. James’ heavy implication of Lance potentially swooping in and taking over, which had its own sweeping consequences and implications. If Lance were to take over, would Allura marry off one of her foster children? It would be a way of keeping the business in the immediate family but there was a potential age issue. 

    As of now, Pidge was still only 15 years old and Matt was supposedly in a committed relationship and worked at the local news paper so that wouldn’t     work. 

    That left only Keith, and everyone sort of agreed that he was a desirable choice for a partner. He was grumpy and didn’t talk to anyone. All he cared about was the performance and no one really knew him. Even Veronica, who had become ‘friends’ with him knew next to nothing. It didn’t help that Pidge refused to say anything either. If there was one thing that everyone could agree on, it was that Keith was an uncomfortable enigma. 

    The worst part of all of this though was that the students would be arriving on opening night for a show that Griffin had a major lead in. This wasn’t unusual but it  _ was  _ a problem. 

    Why? You might ask. Well, rehearsal 5 days before the show was exciting.

    It started off very normal; Griffin was strutting around the stage and singing loudly as per usual. Keith and Pidge were both to stage left and whispering in hushed voices about when Keith was planning on finally auditioning for a speaking part. Keith claimed that he didn’t think he could get a part while Pidge argued that the part Griffin was currently playing should have been Keith’s. Their furious whispering was interrupted by thousands of screams as everyone’s eyes were drawn back to the stage.

    A sandbag had fallen from the ceiling causing large wooden beams to break ropes and fall onto the stage. Veronica was clutching onto Griffin’s arm making it evident that if she hadn’t yaned him out of the way then he would have been hit. 

    There was a moment of silence before the dancers began to whisper. “Do you think it’s him? The ghost --- the terror? The one that haunts the theatre?” The whispers continued, growing in volume as the girls worked themselves and the other’s into quite a tizzy. The whispers blurred together until all it seemed that they were saying was “the phantom of the opera” endlessly. 

    Coran turned to look at a pale Griffin pleadingly. “These things do happen.” he says nervously, glancing up at the rafters where the sandbags and backdrop came from.

    And then suddenly, Griffin was losing it.

    “What the fuck?!” he yelled angrily, wrenching his arms from Veronica’s grip and whirling to glare at everyone like they’d just murdered a baby right in front of him. “I could have died! This is the fourth time an ‘accident’ like this has happened during prep for this production! This is ridiculous --- someone’s trying to kill me. Yes, these things do happen, ut until they stop happening, I refuse to go along with this production. I’m leaving!” he declared before storming off the stage and out the doors of the theatre, quickly followed by a frantic and panicked Veronica.

    Everyone sort of froze for a long while. It wasn’t unusual for Griffin to throw a tantrum about something and disappear for a week or two, but he’d never stormed out 5 days before opening night  _ when he was a lead.  _ Everyone was absolutely stunned by this. What were they supposed to do now? They couldn’t just hope and pray that Griffin would return! Opening night was also the night that Lance McClain and the other Garrison students were arriving. They  _ had  _ to make a good impression. But how can they do that with no lead?

    “Oh my gods,” Allura whispered, flopping dramatically into a seat. “What are we going to dod? We have 5 days to find a new lead. No one can learn and memorize a part that fast! Not if we want to make a good impression. This is a fucking disaster.”

    Everyone was taken aback by the simple fact that Allura had sworn. She was kind of infamous at this point for being very strict about foul language. (It was a running issue with all three of her foster children considering they all had the foulest mouths in the theatre --- although Coran was secretly the one to teach them. They never ratted him out though because they weren’t no snitches!) Still, this situation had to be pretty bad to get Allura to swear. Even though they knew it was bad, Allura cursing just solidly put it into perspective. 

    Everyone srt of just saged in place as the reality of the situation came crashing down on them. “Holy shit…” Keith mumbled softly. They were screwed --- royally so. 

 

    “Keith could do it.” 

    Everyone’s heads snapped over to look at Pidge so fast that at least half of them  _ must  _ have gotten whiplash. Keith knew that he was going to have an ache for the next while at least.

    “He knows the entire show; only a bit of blocking will be different and Keith can learn and memorize that in a couple of hours.” Pidge continued, readily defending her suggestion despite the disbelieving looks she was getting from everyone.

    “But Pidge, Keith’s a dancer, not a trained singer!” Coran protested, causing Keith to flush in embarrassment at the attention he was garnering. 

    Pidge stared pointedly at him. “Please just give him a chance. I know he can do it!” she insisted, giving him a little shove. Since Keith was a dumbass, he wasn’t expecting it and despite their large difference in size and strength, Keith was sent stumbling into centre stage. He looked around widly feeling more like a cornered animal than ever, before finally he met Allura’s gaze.

    “Keith?” she asked uncertainly. “Do you want to do this?”

    And that’s what Keith loved about ALlura. She didn’t ask him if he thought he could do it, she asked him if he wanted to. He knew there would be no shame in saying ‘no’ --- he knew no one would judge him or even blame him. But no, he had to do this. He’d been holding off for so long. It was finally time for him to  _ try.  _ He swallowed thickly and nodded jerkily, his floof of hair falling over his face. He took a deep breathe before opening his mouth and singing for the first time ever in front of someone other than Pidge or Shiro.

 

_ [Think of me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfTgCPUJwRk) _

_ Think of me fondly _

_ When we’ve said goodbye _

_ Remember me _

_ Once in a while _

_ Please, promise me you’ll try _

 

_ And you’ll find _

_ That once again you long _

_ To take your heart back and be free _

_ If you ever find a moment _

_ Spare a thought for me _

 

His voice started off kind of soft and uncertain --- he still hadn’t really sung in front of people so of course he was nervous --- but the longer he sang the more confidence that he gained. 

Part of the reason that Pidge was so eager to shove him forward is that he was supposed to have auditioned for the part but he chickened out last minute. He’d learned all the song and at least half of the blocking, so really, if he didn’t flub this audition, he could theoretically be the best option. 

But then again, that all depends on his vocal performance. He took a step forward, standing fully centre stage. 

 

_ We never said _

_ Our love was evergreen _

_ Or as unchanging as the sea _

_ But if you can still remember _

_ Stop and think of me _

 

A couple years back he might have struggled to hit those high notes, but after years of working with Shiro has given him a great range. Shiro was rather ruthless in that matter. All that hard work had certainly paid off because out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the dropped jaws of damn near everyone in the room. The only ones who didn’t appear shocked was Pidge (who’d already heard him sing before) and Allura, who just looked proud. 

 

_ Think of all the things _

_ We’ve shared and seen _

_ Don’t think of the things _

_ We might have been _

 

_ Think of me _

_ Think of me waking _

_ Silent and resigned _

_ Imagine me _

_ Trying too hard _

_ To put you from my mind _

 

Perhaps hsi performance wasn’t as phenomenal as it could be because honestly? He wasn’t really feeling the song. It was a weird way to refer to it, but the issue with Keith was that if he couldn’t connect with the lyrics and all he had to rely on was the melody, then he couldn’t reach full potential. Pidge and Shiro both assure him that he can sound absolutely stunning if he really  _ felt  _ the music.

The only problem was actually getting him to feel the music.

 

_ Recall those days _

_ Look back on all those times _

_ Think of the things we’ll never do _

_ There will never be a day _

_ When I won’t think of you! _

 

He decided that that was good enough for proving his skills since he’d already hit the higher notes and if need be he could just lower the end ad lib. Luckily for him, it would seem that the others agree that he was capable because there was an uproarious applause erupting from the crowd before he had even finished that last sustained high note. It was a good cut off note too, as there would be a bit of orchestration before he continued.

“Keith… I had no idea that you were learning how to sing! That was amazing!” Allura said as the applause tapered off and they were able to hear them speak again. “If you want the part then it’s yours. But I have to ask; who taught you?”

Keith opened his mouth, fully prepared to divulge his secret instructor when he caught sight of Pidge out of the corner of his eye. SHe was shaking her head minutely, silently urging him to not reveal Shiro. Keith didn’t quite understand why, but he knew that Pidge was usually correct so he chose to heed her advice.

“They would prefer to remain anonymous, Allura.” he said as diplomatically as he could. Allura looked like she wanted to push, but thankfully she didn’t. If she had, Keith knew that he’d end up closing off even more which would wreck everything. Although… it was evident that Allura knew more than she was showing.

A little melodramatic, but it wasn’t like that statement was wrong.

However, Allura didn’t push, so the point was moot. 

Instead, she pursed her lips and then moved on. “Alright then. Rehearsal shall begin anew bright and early tomorrow morning. If everyone could help clean up --- Keith? You and Pidge are excused from this to go over some of Griffin’s blocking.” Allura then turned away to begin directing the others on how to save the backdrops and sandbags. 

Keith and Pidge wasted no time in racing out of the room and practically running down to the old piano room. 

 

_ Why in the world _

_ Have you been hiding? _

_ Really --- you were perfect! _

 

Pidge sang happily, turning to grin at him.

 

_ I only wish  _

_ I knew your secret _

_ Is it really all Shiro? _

 

__ Keith blushed before looking off into the distance, unaware of how love sick he looked. “You know.” he spoke softly.

 

_ Father once spoke of an angel _

_ I used to dream he’d appear _

_ Now as I sing I can sense him _

_ And I know he’s here _

 

Because yeah. Shiro sort of was like his guardian angel. And since he lived in the walls of the theatre he technically was always there. It was a comforting thought to Keith now. 

 

_ Here in this room  _

_ He calls me softly _

_ Somewhere inside, hiding _

_ Somehow I know  _

_ He’s always with me _

_ He, the unseen genius _

 

__ Pidge however, had begun to look worried. She stopped their descent suddenly, looking up at Keith from behind Matt’s old glasses.

 

_ Keith, you must have been dreaming _

_ Stories like this don’t end well _

_ Keith, you’re talking in riddles _

_ And it’s not like you _

 

Keith shook his head. He knew that it was foolish to think so, but to Keith, SHiro meant something. To Keith, he  _ was  _ more than human; an angel. Pidge was clearly concerned, and for more than one reason too. This also worried Keith, but he didn’t really want to dwell on it here. Instead, he began to walk down the stairs once more. 

 

_ [Angel of music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lG2zPKo9e4) _

_ Guide and guardian _

_ Grant to me your glory _

 

Pidge shook her head, tugging on his sleeve and begging him to question.  _ “But who is this angel? This---” _

 

_ Angel of music _

_ Hide no longer _

_ Secret and strange angel _

 

__ Keith flopped down on the piano bench and rubbed his head tiredly, trailing off in his melody.  _ “He’s with me even now.” _

__ Pidge frowned, taking his hand in hers.  _ “You’re hands are cold,”  _ she sang softly.

_ “All around me…” _

__ _ “Your face, Keith…”  _ Pidge whispered,  _ “it’s white.” _

__ _ “It frightens me.”  _ Keith finally admitted. Deep down he knew that Shiro’s appearance in his life was odd. It just wasn’t something that happened to normal people. He comforted himself with ideas of angels but in reality, Shiro was nothing supernatural.

And if he was… then he probably wasn’t an angel.

 

Pidge pursed her lips and looked him in the eyes. “I’m sure you heard how the other girls were whispering about a phantom?” she said after a long pause. “Well, Allura and I haven’t told you everything about this theatre. When I saw how happy Shiro made you… I couldn’t possibly say anything. But now…” she trailed off, looking rather nervous. “Well now matters have forced my hand.”

“There isn’t actually a phantom haunting the theatre, because phantoms and ghost don’t exist. There is however, a mistake of Allura’s that haunts this theatre.” Pidge began to explain, making a face when she said ‘mistake’. “Well not really a mistake, but it’s certainly haunting all of us. You see, when Allura was young, there was a boy who turned up on the doorstep. He’d been viciously beaten and horrendously scarred. He was even missing an arm. Alfor --- Allura’s father --- chose to let him live in the theatre. When Alfor died, the boy disappeared.”

Keith got a sinking feeling in his stomach. The boy disappeared… it had to be Shiro. Shiro only spoke to Keith and he’d said that he owed the Altea family a debt. Being taken in and saved would count as a pretty big debt. And Shiro had never shown Keith what he looked like. If he had massive scarring it would make sense.

“For years, they didn’t hear so much as a peep from the boy. And then strange poltergeist-like activities began to occur. The workers knew nothing of the boy and spread rumours of a ghost haunting the theatre.” Pidge murmured softly. “If you look at the boots, you’ll see that we’re paying him a monthly salary. He guard the theatre and also provides us with new operas and musical arrangements. I only found out because while Allura was trying to train me to help with the books I asked about a weird expense account separate from the rest.”

This… this was odd information. “Is this why you didn’t want me to say anything about Shiro?” Keith asked uncertainly. “Why didn’t you say anything when I first met Shiro?”

“Well, at first I just thought that you made it up,” Pidge admitted sheepishly. “You didn’t exactly have all that many friends and I thought that he was an excuse to work on your own. Then I talked with Allura and by then it’d been about a year. He obviously wasn’t planning on hurting you, otherwise he would have done something by now and I wasn’t about to be the one to take away another person who made you happy!” she blushed bright red and avoided his gaze. “And it’s not like I’ve ever seen him either…”

 

Keith wasn’t really mad. He totally understood why Pidge had thought that he was making Shiro up. It was true that he was kind of a loner and he’d still yet to see Shiro… all the same, he felt a little hurt that Pidge hadn't told him about her discoveries until she absolutely had to. 

“But you believe that Shiro is the boy and he was the one who almost killed Griffin. You think it wasn’t an accident.”

Pidge could only nod. “It would look really bad if you revealed your teacher was the ‘phantom of the opera’ who had just tried to kill a performer and then  _ you, his pupil, got the part. _ ”

Keith winced. That really didn’t sound good. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

 

But while the disaster had been averted for the time being, it wouldn’t last forever. At some point, Shiro would be revealed. The only uncertainties were it would happen and how others would react when they did. Deep down Keith knew this, and he waited for the future with a weary hope.

 

* * *

 

Opening night arrived far sooner than anyone would have liked it to.

Getting Keith up to speed was a challenge that Keith eagerly threw himself into. He was going to prove to everyone that he deserved the part and it wasn’t just nepotism and desperation that got him his first ever actual role. Still, even with everyone’s maximum effort to putting on the best possible show, things were cut a little close and Keith was nervous beyond belief. 

It was opening night, and the students from the Garrison were currently sitting in the audience. Lance McClain was also sitting in the audience. Lance McClain was also sitting in the office. 

This was someone that Keith was surprisingly eager to meet and impress. Normally, he wouldn’t care about something like this, but Veronica McClain was cool and Lance was going to be potentially permanent member of their family. If Lance thought he sucked… well family dinner could get even more awkward than those four time sthat Griffin joined them. And if Keith was to be completely honest, there was a part of him that wanted this new arrival to respect him as a performer. To most in the theatre, Keith was still the street rat he’d been when he’d first arrived. That meant that there was no way that they were just going to get over that first impression. 

Lance and the Garrison students should theoretically, have no idea who he is.

Someone like Griffin would no doubt be incredibly offended by that, but to Keith it was ideal. He didn’t want to sing for the attention. That had never been the reason. He just loved the stage and the adrenaline that pumped through his body while he was on the stage. Was that so bad? To some at the theatre, that just made no sense.

But now was not the time to contemplate this. Now, Keith was standing backstage, mere moments away from stepping onto the stage for his moment of truth.

He took a deep breath and adjusted his vest and tailed coat before lifting his chin. This was his chance to prove to everyone --- to prove to Shiro --- that he wasn’t the Altea family fuck-up.

 

* * *

 

_ We never said _

_ Our love was evergreen _

_ Or as unchanging as the sea _

_ But please promise me that sometimes _

_ You will think--- _

 

__ He took a deep breath, staring out into the blobs of faces into the crowd, any kind of feature being blurred by the bright stage lights. The lights highlighted the gold embroidery on his deep red suit and made the gleaming white accents contrast beautifully with his hair. 

Griffin had originally been supposed to wear a pale yellow suit but since Keith was built differently, Allura had had to pull out some other costumes for Keith. It didn’t change too much, but Pidge had been quick to say that red was more his colour. Keith personally thought that he looked better in black, but he’d take it. 

To be perfectly honest, Keith was a little more worried about flubbing the ad lib and had wanted to work with Shiro on it but simply had had no time to himself over the few days leading up to his debut. 

So here he was, standing on a stage in garish garb and preparing to hit  notes he wasn’t quite sure that he could hit. 

 

_ Ah~ _

_ Of me! _

 

__ He grinned triumphantly at hitting the note and took a sweeping bow before watching the curtains close in front of him. He had only a moment to let out a sigh of relief as he walked backstage before he was hit by a flying body colliding with his side. Pidge was babbling at maybe a mile a minute as she hugged the life right out of him. He was quickly hit with more bodies as the chorus girls needed to the chatter in his ears about how they had no idea that he could sing that well!

Despite being a bit uncomfortable, he sucked it up and weathered the new found attention as best as he could as he waded through the crowd of well wishes and congratulations so that he could get to ‘his’ dressing room. His face was caked in makeup and he desperately needed a glass of water. 

Luckily, Pidge seemed to catch onto what he was doing and climbed off him to usher the crowd away from him so that he could slip away into the blessed quiet of the dimly lit room. It was as barren as a dressing room could get; makeup all over the counter surface of the vanity and 2 of the light bulbs around the mirror were blown. All the same, it was much nicer than the group room that the dancers occupied. It was also super nice to have a bit of breathing room. 

He gratefully sank into the chair and began to strip out of his costume before stopping half-way through and chugging a cup of water. 

Then, there was a knock at the door. 

Not thinking much of it and assuming it would be either Allura or Coran, Keith didn’t even bother shrugging off the other half of his jacket and simply began pulling his hair back into a ponytail. “Come in!” he yelled from around the elastic band he had clutched between his teeth. 

There was a pause before the door opened and then closed shut with a click. Keith froze as he stared at the person who’d just walked into his dressing room. Contrary to his primary belief, it was in fact  _ not  _ Allura  _ or  _ Coran. Instead it was possibly the last person he’d want to see before Griffin.

It was Lance McClain.

He took a second to absorb what was happening, looking between himself and his somewhat invited guest. Lance was dressed in an elegant royal blue suit that looked to be custom tailored to the other teen’s lany form. He appeared to be less built than Keith, but that was probably due to a difference in lifestyle --- Keith having to build muscle to support him in his movements while Lance was a student; a businessman. Like Veronica, he had an even sunkissed mocha skin tone about 3 shades lighter than his hair which was cropped short with a little tuft in front. He had very sharp features and a curious gleam in his crystalline blue eyes. He looked well put together, if a little nervous.

In comparison, Keith was a complete and utter wreck. 

His bottom half wasn’t so bad but everything above his waist was just embarrassing. His tailed overcoat was hanging off one arm and his vest hung from his shoulders unbuttoned revealing the untucked dress shirt beneath it. His gloves were tucked into his waistband making his sweaty black undershirt stand out even more against the paleness of his skin. Part of his long black hair hung in front of his face and he had the rest of the sweaty locks gathered in his hands in an effort to put it up. His stage make up was cakey and cracked in places after the long performance and his peeling lipstick was very obvious due to the position his mouth was twisted into in order to hold the elastic band between his teeth.

They made eye contact through the mirror, both of them frozen as they realized what just happened. In a rush, they both began to apologize profusely. 

“Oh my gosh! I’m so embarrassed! I’m so sor---”

“I didn’t mean to barge in on you undressing, you just said ‘come in’---”

Keith whirled around to face Lance, his checks beginning to colour as it fully sank in how awful he looked. He was absolutely mortified. “I’m so sorry, I thought you were ALlura.” he said awkwardly after a beat of silence. 

Lance laughed loudly, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “Well I’d say that it’s a pleasure to meet you, but we’ve yet to be acquainted,” he joked brightly. “You’re Keith Kogane, right? Son of Ms. Allura Altea? You were absolutely phenomenal tonight! Oh! The name’s Lance, by the way. Lance McClain.” he took a step forwards and closer to Keith, producing a bouquet of delicate baby pink roses from behind his back. “These are for you.”

Keith’s blush deepened as he dropped his hair and accepted the bouquet --- just to be polite. “Yeah. That’s me. Thank you very much.” he said stiffly, inwardly beating on himself as Lance’s smile faded slightly at  his curt response. He didn’t mean to sound so callous and shrewd but he was very flustered and very awful at expressing his emotions like a normal human.

“Well, I should let you continue to er… undress, but may I say that it was  _ very  _ nice to see you.” Lance wiggled his eyebrows as he took a step back and opened the door behind him. “And if you want a partner for any… extraneous activities…”

Without thinking, Keith chucked the bouquet of roses right at LAnce’s face. He would have hit him dead on too if LAnce didn’t have good reflexes and slammed the door with a loud cackle. Keith slumped and plopped onto a chair, his face still flushed. And to think, he had been looking forward to Lance's arrival. He was the unholy combination of Pidge and Veronica, and suddenly Keith was very much not looking forwards to his future at Altea Theatre.

 

* * *

 

He dunked his head into the water basin once more, furiously scrubbing with his fingers to remove the final bits of makeup from around his eyes. It had taken an almost comical amount of time to get all of the makeup off and he was just glad that he had the forethought to finish removing the outer layers of his costume. They now lay folded neatly on his chair for one of the costume department to pick up and carefully hand wash. He didn’t want to do anything else with it for fear of somehow wrecking the fabric. He knew they were expensive and while he did have a good bit of money saved up, he didn’t want to waste it on costumes. He may be destined to stay at the theatre forever, but he did plan on a comfortable enough retirement.

He grabbed blindly for a towel beside him and dried off his face roughly before turning around to grab a new shirt to shrug over his tank top. For some reason, the room had suddenly gone cold and he was going to catch a cold. He turned back to the room and immediately saw that something was amiss.

At first glance, it would appear that nothing out of the ordinary was in his field of view. But staring even more than a second proved that something was off.

In the corner of the room there was a large floor length mirror. With the way the oil lamps were organized in the room, the light cas some shadows along the length, however not like this.  The entire surface of the mirror was a matte darkness as deep as a gaping maw of a cave. It was almost like someone had painted over it but Keith was able to see more dimension. It was… a pathway. Then something moved in the shadows and Keith’s heart seized in his chest. 

 

_ [Insolent boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrp84qF9biw&index=11&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn) _

_ The slave of fashion _

_ Basking in your glory _

 

A voice from the mirror began to sing, hissing and spitting angrily. Keith’s eyes immediately zeroed in on the movement. Was this about… Lance? Was the mysterious being singing talking about how Lance had appeared and chatted with Keith? But… why?

 

_ Ignorant fool _

_ This brave young suitor _

_ Sharing in my triumph  _

 

He slowly began to approached the mirror, almost drawn to it with a sense of foreboding. This was one of those moments where his actions would change the course of his future --- he just knew it. 

From the inky depths of the mirror, a hand extended out and into the room, revealing that the actual glass of the mirror had been removed. The light shifted as Keith got closer, and he found that he was able to make out a silhouette of a man. He was tall, but Keith wasn’t able to make out much more, so he focused his attention back onto the thing that he actually  _ could  _ see; the hand.

It was one of the most bizarre things that Keith had ever seen. It looked almost like a prop from some freaky futuristic play. The hand was crafted almost entirely out of metal and the rest out of a thick black fabric almost reminiscent of kevlar. It was held palm up, inviting him to take the offered hand. What was bizarre, was that Keith could see the metal extending all the way past the elbow. It was very obviously a prosthetic, but Keith had never seen a prosthetic quite like this. 

Almost seemingly beyond his control, he drew closer to the outstretched hand. There was something about the offer of the outstretched hand that made him want to take it; damn the consequences. He drew ever closer, finally being able to make out more features on the man that the strange prosthetic arm belonged to. Up close he was even taller than expected and even more bizarre. He was muscular, visible even under the partial black suit and cloak he wore (partial because all of the prosthetic arm was on full display). He had short black hair cropped close at the sides and back, but leaving a black floof on top with white bangs that faded near seamlessly into the pure white half mask he wore. 

He was clearly of Asian descent, the half of his face that was visible betrayed that information with skin tone, eye and nose shape. The slight slant to his eye was only accented by the kohl artfully applied around his visible eye. The bridge of his nose was covered by the half mask, but creeping across to touch his cheek was a deep scar across his nose. The eye hidden by the mask was probably the oddest thing about him. The eye glowed yellow without iris or pupil, illuminating in the darkness and piercing into Keith’s soul. 

The man stood patiently and silently, still waiting for Keith to take the outstretched hand. That’s when Keith was struck with a realization. Was… was this Shiro? There really wasn’t anyone else that it could be…

So Keith took a leap of faith and did what he does best by acting impulsively and taking the man’s hand. 

In an instant, a smile flashed across the man’s face. It wasn’t a nice smile --- it was one filled with abnormally pointy teeth that almost glowed in the dark. It was sharp and poisonous and Keith felt a blade of fear pierce his heart. Keith only got to see that smile for a fraction of a second before the metal hand was closing around his in a death grip and he was yanked forwards into the darkness beyond the mirror so fast he didn’t even have time to cry out in shock. 

He stumbled blindly through the dark, following the cold metal hand before eventually they stumbled into a lit hallway. Lit might actually be a little too generous seeing as the walls were like that of a mineshaft and sparkling purple crystals were what lit the way. An eerie melody trailed through the air as Shiro lead him down the hallway. It almost resonated from the crystals and everything took on a dream-like haze. 

 

_ In sleep he sang to me _

_ In dreams he came _

_ That voice which calls to me _

_ And speaks my name _

 

__ He sang softly, his voice gaining volume and confidence as the man continued to lead him deeper still. They went down many stairs, the pace slowing as Keith adjusted to the dim cave-like atmosphere. The man, though mysterious and frightful in appearance, was surprisingly gentle with Keith making him more confident that the man wasn’t so mysterious after all. 

 

_ And do I dream again _

_ For now I find _

_[The Phantom of the Opera](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgz6PnHkmpY&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn&index=12) is there _

_ Inside my mind _

 

He had no doubts that this man was Shiro. Although cold and strong, the grip on his hand was gentle. The man’s face was partially hidden and his yellow eye, supernatural, but the visible half looked kind albeit serious. It was kind of interesting. He had yet to speak or even acknowledge that Keith had sung at all. 

He lead Keith deeper still before eventually hitting a source of water. The eerie purple lights cast an unsettling glowl from under the water, making each ripple shine like jewels. In the oddly clear water, there sat a boat. It was small but looked elegantly crafted. It had beautiful sweeping carvings of lions running along the sides. Keith could practically see them moving. It was beautiful. 

With sure steps, Shiro stepped into the boat and let go of Keith’s hand. He turned around then, offering his hand once more in invitation to follow him into the boat. He was no longer forcing Keith to follow, but at this point, there was no choice but to continue. He took Shiro’s hand and sat down quickly in the boat as it rocked alarmingly at the change in weight and distribution. 

 

_ Sing once again with me _

_ Our strange duet _

_ My power over you _

_ Grows stronger yet _

 

Keith nearly jumped in surprise as the man began to sing. Keith would recognize that smooth deep voice anywhere --- it was definitely Shiro. But was he really that horrendously scarred that he didn’t want to show Keith? Did he not trust him? All the same, Keith nearly swooned when Shiro sang to him. 

Shiro pulled a long pole from somewhere --- Keith wasn’t paying attention to that; too busy staring --- and before Keith knew it, they had begun to glide across the glowing pools. 

 

_ Although you turn from me _

_ To glance behind _

_ The Phantom of the Opera is there _

_ Inside you mind _

 

He turned his intense gaze away from Keith to stare ahead into the darkness and Keith was struck with just how sketchy this entire situation was. Glowing crystals? A boat and caverns beneath the theatre? Really? And what if Shiro… wasn’t there after all? What if he was just a hallucination or a dream and Keith was going crazy? Keith didn’t want to think about that. Instead, he chose to focus on the words that Shiro chose to sing. Admittedly Keith was making his own up on the fly, but Shiro’s were a bit more concerning than Keith’s own. 

His power over him? Why did that sound… so uncomfortable and scary? Worrying even. He dared to continue their strange song; both out of curiosity and the urge to not go into the darkness with only the hum of the crystals playing its unsettling melody. 

 

_ Those who have seen your face _

_ Draw back in fear _

 

He was taking a risk here by mentioning Shiro’s face. He knew this, but he did so anyways. Shiro wouldn’t wear a mask unless he was very uncomfortable with whatever the mask was hiding. It was playing with fire to mention it so blatantly now that he could see Shiro. Never before had Shiro mentioned any of his physical attributes other than his general size. The only reason that Keith had even suspected or knew that Shiro was scarred was because of that story that Pidge told him --- and it might not even be true. But now he had the chance to find out. Well, not by ripping off Shiro’s mask --- he wasn’t a dick --- but maybe he could ask. 

He saw Shiro’s shoulders tense up and he cautiously sang,  _ “I am the mask you wear---” _

_ “It’s me they hear,”  _ Shiro snapped suddenly, interrupting Keith before he could continue. There was an almost dangerous air in the caves under the theatre and Keith shivered slightly before opening his mouth almost unbidden to sing along with Shiro. 

 

_ Your/My spirit and your/my voice _

_ In one combined _

_ The Phantom of the Opera is there _

_ Inside your/my mind _

 

Keith gulped audibly as Shiro turned to look at him. The odd look was back in both of Shiro’s eyes. It struck Keith as weird that they both sang the same lyrics almost intuitively, and knew the melody. Keith had heard the tune in one of his dreams, and he was beginning to wonder if Shiro had been involved in that. 

Shiro stared down at him with an indecipherable look in his eyes. They were harder and colder than Keith would have expecting the glowing supernatural eye only served to make him more ethereal and more than just a man. 

 

_ In all your fantasies _

_ You always knew _

_ That man and mystery _

 

Shiro’s voice was deeper than Keith remembered. It wasn’t as soft or gentle, but instead almost a growl. Keith’s eyes widened slightly.  _ “Are both in you,”  _ he countered, trying to regain his wit. He was still a little shocked after all. Far too many surprises for one evening. Shiro inclined his head and the barest grin of approval crossed his facial features. 

 

_ And in this labyrinth _

_ Where night is blind _

_ The Phantom of the Opera is there/here _

 

Their voiced mixed together beautifully and Keith felt a sense of satisfaction at being able to complement his mentor in such a manner.

_ “Inside my mind,”  _ he whispered, suddenly alone in his song as they continued to drift down the cave pools like the ferry across the river styx. Shiro’s gaze was locked with hsi won and he felt a certain sense of foreboding. This was all very concerning and Keith didn’t really know what was going to happen next. Never even in his wildest dreams did he picture ‘meeting’ him like this. Shiro was different here, but Keith couldn’t quite put his finger on  _ why.  _

“Sing, my angel of music.”

Keith froze. 

...Angel of music?

Keith had never told Shiro that he thought of him as an angel. In fact, the only time that those words had left his lips was when he was singing with Pidge after his audition. He’d never even written it down! Shiro throwing those words back at him --- now of all times --- because he knew the effect that they would have on him was probably akin to the feeling Shiro got from Keith bringing up the mask. 

He stared wide eyed up at Shiro’s face in confusion. Why would Shiro say that?

 

_ “He’s there, the Phantom of the Opera!”  _ Keith sang softly, unsure if Shiro actually meant his request. 

    Shiro’s eyes gleamed with hunger and he smiled at Keith. “Sing, Keith. Sing for me, my angel. Sing.” he ordered calmly. Keith was unsure of what exactly Shiro wanted so he just made something up on the spot. It seemed to work for the masked man because his grin grew with every semitone he climbed. “Very good,” Shiro purred not unkindly. 

    Finally the boat slowed to a stop at an underground cavern. More of the glowing purple crystals lay scattered around the cave walls, lighting up the area that Keith could only assume was Shiro’s home. Swaths of silver fabric hung, softening the sharp landscape. Metal glittered in the walls of the cavern, highlighting and reflecting a small fire pit. In the corner sat a piano and around it sat stacks of paper and sheet music. While admittedly messy, it looked more like organized chaos than anything else. Keith was in awe. 

 

_ I have brought you _

_ To the scene of sweet music’s throne _

_ To this kingdom _

_ Where all must pay homage to music _

_ Musics _

 

The odd glint in Shiro’s eyes was back as he took Keith’s hand and lead him up towards the draped fabrics near one of the alcoves. Behind the makeshift curtains there was a grand bed surrounded by pillows, blankets and yet more sheet music. It was almost as fascinating as hearing Shiro sing to him face to face and he was sorely tempted to simply stare at his surrounding instead of a Shiro. 

 

_ You have come here _

_ For one purpose and one alone _

_ Since that moment I first heard you sing _

_ I have needed you with me to serve me _

_ To sing for my music _

_ My music… _

 

He trailed off, a fog seemingly lifting from him and his smile turned much warmer and gentler. Keith’s shoulder relaxed imperceptibly as the uncomfortable atmosphere fled in exchange for something much more similar to what Keith had grown accustomed to when Shiro was teaching him about music. 

 

_ Nighttime sharpens _

_ Heightens each sensation _

_ Darkness stirs and _

_ Wakes imagination _

_ Silently the senses _

_ Abandon their defenses _

 

His voice seemed to completely shift and it flowed over Keith like the warmth of apple cider on a winter day. Each word was chosen carefully and twisted artfully, making a warm hazy feeling settle over Keith. The crystals in the cavern began to hum a different melody, complimenting Shiro’s soft crooning tone. 

 

_ Slowly, gently _

_ Night unfurls its splendor _

_ Grasp it, sense it _

_ Tremulous and tender _

 

He had moved away from Keith after leading him here, but now he moved to approach Keith almost cautiously. He reached forward with his metal hand, smiling a bit sadly when Keith flinched away slightly. The unnatural glow in his yellow eye dimmed slightly. It was no longer piercing and seeing the almost sad look on Shiro’s face made him make a larger effort in calming himself down. This was Shiro --- for who else could it be? --- there was nothing to be afraid of. 

 

_ Turn you face away _

_ From the garish light of day _

_ Turn your thoughts away  _

_ From cold, unfeeling light _

_ And listen to the [music of the night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77umP7IRxD4&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn&index=13)  
_

 

He gently caressed Keith’s cheek, fingers curling around his jaw and then continuing to travel down to twirl a bit of his hair. In a flash he snaps his hand away, curling it into a fist. He stalked away from Keith, his smile gaining an edge but not quite reaching the former levels of unease. 

 

_ Close your eyes _

_ And surrender to your darkest dreams _

_ Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before _

 

His voice was powerful --- far more emotional and hard-hitting than Keith’s own --- and the odd cave-like home that they were in only mande his voice all the more booming. He whirled around to look at Keith as he walked backwards and around the glowing purple crystals, his half cape billowing majestically. He continued to sing, bewitching Keith with his sweet words.

 

_ Close your eyes _

_ Let your spirit start to soar _

_ And you’ll live _

_ As you’ve never lived before _

 

His face and voice softened as he reached a climax and then returned to a softer melody. Keith felt himself get drawn into the music; subconsciously moving closer to Shiro.

 

_ Softly, deftly _

_ Music shall surround you _

_ Feel it, fear it _

_ Closing in around you _

_ Open up your mind _

_ Let your fantasies unwind _

_ In this darkness which you know you cannot fight _

_ The darkness of the music of the night _

 

Keith closed his eyes as he let Shiro’s voice wash over him and lull him into a false sense of security and safety. Shiro’s voice was just so beautiful, Keith was overwhelmed by the situation at large. He didn’t know what to think or do. 

Then Shiro’s voice began to boom again echoing around the cave like it was its own amphitheatre. Shiro leaned dramatically over the makeshift railing by the piano as he stared down at Keith with a manic look in his eyes. It was almost possessive. Keith felt a shiver go down his spine as Shiro continued to belt his soul to Keith. It was incredibly overwhelming.

 

_ Let you mind start a journey _

_ To a strange new world _

_ Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before _

_ Let your soul take you where you long to be! _

 

His face opened up in glee as the clear note rang through the air. Then, Shiro descended and returned to Keith’s side once more, settling behind him like it was where he belonged.  _ “Only then, can you belong to me,”  _ he whispered into Keith’s hair, his arms winding around Keith’s chest, one hand clutching at Keith’s stomach and the other coming to rest on Keith’s throat. Keith’s hands flew to rest on Shiro’s as Shiro pulled him back to his chest and let his hands begin to wonder. He buried his nose into Keith’s hair, pressing the edges of the mask into his skull. 

 

_ Floating, falling _

_ Sweet intoxication _

_ Touch me, trust me _

_ Savour each sensation _

_ Let the dream begin _

_ Let your darker side give in _

_ To the power of the music that I write _

_ To the power of the music of the night _

 

He gently lead Keith in a close and slow waltz, his eyes filled with warmth and joy. All of a sudden, the entire situation became too much for Keith and he felt black creeping onto his vision. Before he knew it, his legs had given out on him and he was lifted by strong muscular arms. 

Then he was weightless only aware of the comforting warmth around him and a low rubbing hum in his ear.

 

_ You alone can make my music take flight _

_ Help me make the music of the night _

 

* * *

 

Keith woke up slowly and then all at once.

He lurched upright violently, panting like he’d just run a marathon. He was laying amongst the elegant grew pillows and blankets that had made up the bed that he’d seen before he’d passed out. There was a soft melody coming from a small box beside the ‘bed’ and it’s tinkling tune was interrupted by the sounds of a piano stopping and starting interspersed with the scratching of a calligraphy pen on parchment.

He got up cautiously, very aware of how numb and shaky his limbs felt. He carefully swept the curtains of fabric aside to reveal Shiro plunking away at the piano. The purple glow of the gemstones made it hard to tell how much time had passed, but Shiro was still awake, so Keith carefully began to approach, padding softly along the smooth cave floor. 

 

_[I remember](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEVVCBu6EU&index=15&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn) there was mist _

_ Swirling mist upon a vast glassy lake _

_ There were gemstones all around _

_ And on the lake there was a boat _

_ And in the boat there was a man _

 

Keith sang softly, coming to a stop beside Shiro. Shiro paused in his writing, turning to smile at Keith softly. “Hello, Keith,” he said, his familiar voice a comfort to Keith’s ever-present confusion. 

“Shiro?” he asked uncertainly.

Shiro laughed lightly, the edges of his mouth curling to lift the edge of the mask slightly. “Yes, Keith. It’s me.” he said indulgently before patting the piano bench beside him. “Come sit down. I wanted to congratulate you on your performance. You did very well --- I’m proud.” Keith slumped onto the bench, staring at the music in front of him with wide eyes. He was trying to absorb absolutely everything that he could about this now that he knew it wasn’t a dream after all. 

He had never seen Shiro’s handwriting before. 

“I’m glad.” Keith smiled, turning to stare at Shiro’s face. Everything looked a little odd in the purple light,, Shiro still looked beautiful. He was clean shaven and it made his jaw look even sharper than Keith had previously assumed. Even Shiro’s teeth were sharper up close. He had abnormally large canines. “But why now? You’ve never hinted at showing me your face before…” he trailed off awkwardly, unsure if he should even really be asking this. 

Shiro twisted his body, turning to put his full attention on Keith. “I’ve been meaning to for a while, but it was never the right time and admittedly, I was scarred. You weren’t expecting any of this, and it’s not exactly pretty to look at.” he explained, gesturing to his face and arm. “I normally don’t wear a mask and this was all terribly last minute. It’s why it’s so ill fitting. I didn’t want to scare you, Keith.”

“You could never scare me.” Keith responded earnestly and without hesitation. What he didn’t say was that Shiro quite literally meant everything to him. He was his closest friend and confident in ways that Pidge could never hope to be. If he though for a second that Shiro would want him…

Keith knew that he had attachment issues. He latched onto people and literally wouldn’t let them go no matter how much they hurt him. Shiro had done  _ nothing  _ to make Keith hurt. He spent years by his side doing nothing but help and teach him. Keith had grown so much, improving leaps and bounds in skill and as a person. Shiro had completely changed his life. Keith would love Shiro until the day he died. 

Shiro smiled sadly. “You haven’t seen the scars, Keith, and I won’t subject you to that.”

Keith frowned. “I can handle it! You can trust me! You’ve already trusted me this much…” but Shiro still kept so many secrets from Keith. Heck, he knew practically nothing about Shiro’s past. He knew Shiro was a good and kind person, but what had made him like that? Keith wanted to know everything. 

“You’re so strong, Keith.” Shiro turned back to look at the piano, the purple light highlighting the porcelain planes of the mask. “I have no doubt you mean well, but why hurt when you don’t have to?” He made a valid point, but Shiro had to be hurting too. He lived down here and in the walls of the theatre all alone. He never reached out to  _ Keith.  _ He wanted to know  _ Keith.  _ That meant something to him. 

“Shiro,  _ please. _ ” Keith whispered. 

Shiro let out a sigh and turned to look at Keith once more. There was a grim look on his lips. “You know I can never deny you anything.” he said softly, looking almost sad. Then he slowly lifted his arms and carefully removed the white mask and Keith’s jaw dropped. Shiro had been right to be weary, for if Keith had seen this right off the bat, then he can’t honestly say what his reaction would have been. 

One side of Shiro’s face was heavily scarred, creating a stark contrast to the near perfectly clear side of his face. It was a deep purple like a permanent bruise but it didn’t look raised or mottled. Nothing was swollen or even looked like it had been punctured and then healed over. Instead, in the darkest areas of the purple splotch centred around his glowing yellow pupiless eye were covered in small patches of short fur. Not fur like facial hair, but fur like a cat. 

 

_ Stranger than you dreamt it _

_ Can you even dare to look _

_ Or bear to think of me? _

 

With every movement of Shiro’s mouth, the skin twisted and pulled in the dark patch in an odd manner. It didn’t even look like it was human. Shiro looked at him with such a look of self-loathing that Keith wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and hide him from the world. 

 

_ This loathsome gargoyle _

_ Who burns in hell _

_ But secretly yearns for beauty _

_ Secretly… secretly _

 

His voice was tinged with deep hurt and bitterness as his face twisted into an ugly expression. It was like he became a different person right before his face smoothed over again but the feeling still lingered. The Shiro he knew had given way to reveal a man more like the one he saw last night. It was bizarre --- arguably the most bizarre part of this entire situation and Shiro had essentially kidnapped him and brought him to a cave system underneath the Altea Theatre and Opera House. It’s just… Shiro had never acted like this before. Shiro choosing to reveal his face after years of knowing him could be seen as a reward for finally stepping up, but it was Shiro’s attitude that was confusing. 

Never before had he acted like this! It wasn’t necessarily  _ bad _ … just… possessive and strange. If he truly lived alone, Keith could understand that possessiveness. He didn’t mind as long as Shiro was his. 

 

_ But Keith _

_ Fear can turn to love _

_ You’ll learn to see _

_ To find the man behind the monster _

_ This repulsive carcass _

_ Who seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty _

_ Secretly… secretly _

_ Oh, Keith _

 

He spat, grinding out words with hate before deflating and carefully replacing his mask. Keith opened his mouth to protest Shiro’s hateful speech but Shiro cut him off by standing up abruptly. Keith’s mouth shut off with an audible click. “Come, we must return. Those Garrison fools will be wondering where you are and Katie and Allura can only hold them for so long.”

 

* * *

 

    Pidge grumbled quietly to herself as she scribbled frantically in one of her many notebooks. Keith had made it for her the yule of her 14th year and she absolutely adored it. Still, she was tempted to rip out the pages due to frustration. Not only was she at a dead end with her current project, but Keith was missing. Of course, because people suck, they weren’t concerned that he was missing, all they were concerned with was  _ why  _ he was missing. Speculation ran rampant amongst the barracks. 

    One stage hand in particular was running his mouth while the Garrison student watched on in awe and fascination. 

 

_ Like yellow parchment is his skin _

_ A great black hole serves as the nose that never grew _

 

Slav danced around the small room with a crowd gathering along the walls of the room. He had on a wicked smile and a black scarf he was using as a black cape. In his hands he held a punjab lasso. He danced around for a bit, miming a hand t hand fight that ended in him fighting the noose around his neck and barely keeping it at bay. He pulled the noose tight, only avoiding strangulation with the fact that he’d kept his hand between the lasso and his neck. THe crowd watched with a mixture of horror and delight. 

 

_ You must always be on your guard _

_ Or he will catch you with his [magical lasso!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_BB-ieLW4&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn&index=14)  
_

 

Ironically, Slav didn’t notice a trap door opening behind him to reveal Allura standing there. The dancers and Garrison students gasped in shock and Slav grinned, thinking that it was in response to his little show. He opened his mouth to continue, but that’s when Allura chose to cut him off. 

 

_ Those who speak of what they know _

_ Find too late that prudent silence is wise _

 

Her voice wasn’t anything special, but it's still pleasant to the ear to hear. She rarely sings, and all who know this immediately place their full attention on the proceedings, knowing ALlura was going to make a point. She wouldn’t sing otherwise.

She stalked forwards, her heels clicking across the floor as she sauntered through the room. Slav looked about ready to shit himself as he trembled violently when Allura came to a stop in front of him.. 

 

_ Slav, you serpent _

_ Hold you tongue _

_ He will burn you with the heat of his eye! _

 

She hissed, wrenching the nose from his hand and tightening it further, causing Slav to choke. She kept him there for a second before dropping the rope and turning to Pidge. “What’s going on here?” she demanded harshly. 

Pidge opened her mouth to answer, btu the Garrison students hadn’t yet gotten the memo that Pidge was the highest ranking out of everyone save Allura in this room and they blurted out an answer. 

“Mr. Kogane’s gone missing, ma’am! We were just askin’ the others what happened and they started talkin’ about an opera ghost!” The small girl yelled. 

Allura narrowed her eyes at the girl before turning to Pidge. “Explain.” she barked, an absolutely stormy look on her face. 

Pidge sighed. “Keith hasn’t been seen since after the show last night. The last person to see him was Lance McClain and that was 15 minutes after the final bows. No one’s heard anything since and after Griffin’s… encounter with… the Phantom, people are speculating that the Phantom took Keith.” She explained, shooting a glare over at the chatty dancers. “And because  _ some  _ people couldn’t keep their mouth shut this morning, the press found out that he’s missing. Tickets to tonight’s show are selling out faster than ever before.”

Allura’s face went stony and she turned on her heel. “Well then, I have a meeting I’m late for with Mr. Iverson and Mr. McClain. If anyone hears anything about Keith, please let me know right away.” And then she walked calmly and purposefully towards the door without another word. The occupants of the room wisely kept their mouths shut --- Pidge included.

 

* * *

 

Allura made it maybe 4 hallways away from the dance room before she was waylaid by the very people that she was looking for; Iverson and Lance McClain. Iverson looked as unflappable as always however the usually put together Lance --- well at the very least Allura assumed that he was usually put together because Veronica had assured her that her brother  _ did  _ know what he was doing --- looked like a mess. His short hair was in disarray and it looked like he’d thrown on the first thing he’d came across in his hurry.

For once, Allura was willing to let it slide because one of her words was currently missing (nevermind that she had a strong suspicion on who he had been spirited away by). 

“Gentleman,” she began, stopping. “You look harried, what ever is the matter?”

Iverson scowled, but at least he did look genuinely worried.

 

_ [“Mystery after gala night”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2iU8XGaEx8&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn&index=16) _

_ It says “Mystery of tenor’s flight” _

_ “Mystified,” baffled surete says _

_ “We are mystified, we suspect foul play” _

 

Iverson sang, his voice low and slightly more monotone than perhaps was ideal. He pulled out newspapers and showed them to Allura with a worried frown in his eyebrows. Allura winced at the sight of the bold headline --- what a way to make a first impression. First Griffin, now this. She sighed heavily. 

 

_ Bad news on the tenor scene _

_ First Griffin, and then Keith goes missing _

 

Iverson nodded sagely.

 

_ Still at least the seats get sold _

_ Gossips worth its weight in gold _

 

Allura let out a cynical scoff as they began to walk down the hallway and continued towards her office. 

 

_ What a way to run a business _

_ Spare me the unending trials _

_ Half the cast disappears _

_ But the crowd still cheers _

_ Opera! _

_ To Hell with Gluck and Handel _

_ It’s a scandal that’ll pack ‘em in the aisles! _

 

She mused, snorting to herself at the absurd situation that she’d found herself in this time. She’d known from the start that Keith would be trouble --- oh she didn’t regret taking him in for a second, but he was trouble nonetheless. It had been years since the Phantom had bothered to make his presence known to more than just her and Coran so of course he chooses to do so during all this upheaval. He had always been a bit dramatic and now he talked with Keith too.

Luckily, it seems that they were able to make it out of earshot of any prying ears when Lance decided to also burst into song.  _ “Where is he?”  _ he demanded, blurting it out loudly and without consideration for the conversation that Iverson and Allura were having. 

Allura raised one carefully sculpted eyebrow. _ “You mean James Griffin?” _

_ “I mean Keith,” _ Lance shook his head. “ _ Where is he? I want an answer!” _

__ Iverson actually looked a bit disgruntled and very uncomfortable.  _ “Well how should we know?” _

__ Lance then pulls out a letter and waves it around rather dramatically.  _ “I take it that neither of you sent this note?” _

__ Iverson frowned.  _ “What’s all this nonsense?” _

__ _ “Of course not!”  _ Allura insisted at the same time. 

Lance frowned,  _ “he’s not with you then?” _

Allura’s scowl deeped, furrowing her eyebrows. Lance had taken an odd interest in her ward and he was rather insistent on knowing where he was. It struck Allura as odd considering how he only met him the night before --- and even was the last person to see him too!  _ “Of course not, we’re in the dark.”  _ she declared. 

Surprisingly Lance looked even more stressed than before.  _ “Monsieur, madam, please don’t argue. Isn’t this the letter you wrote?”  _ He produced a letter with an odd [symbol](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=n9sP1fUj&id=14D47B3798387D4C8B38003BFFDC4B202071266E&thid=OIP.n9sP1fUjUKuxRu_W8d8lOQHaHa&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2f68.media.tumblr.com%2fcb43fef462be1a614e22e195ebf23ea0%2ftumblr_ocfduzYoFm1vz5i57o1_500.png&exph=500&expw=500&q=voltron+symbol&simid=608048328312489515&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0) in the wax seal on part of the parchment. It looked almost like a ‘v’ or like the wings of the Greek goddess Nike. 

 

 

Iverson snatched it from his hand and opened it. _“And what is it that we’re meant to have wrote?... written.”_ He grumbled before opening the letter and clearing his throat. “Do not fear for Mr. Kogane. The Angel of Music has him under his wing. Make no attempt to see him again.” He made eye contact with Allura who had paled considerably. Well that confirmed that the Phantom had Keith then. ALlura didn’t know whether to feel relieved or not. Keith was with the Phantom --- so he was in the theatre, but just how safe he was, was up in the air.

Lance must have seen her apprehension because then he hesitantly asked, “if you didn’t write it, then who did?” Ah, he must not have heard about the Phantom then. Surprising. Either that or he thought it was all merely superstition. 

They only have time to stare at each other for a second before the doors beside them were thrown open, revealing none other than James Griffin and Veronica McClain.

“Veronica?!” Lance squawked.

“Hi, Lance,” she winced, waving awkwardly as Griffin stomped forward with an absolutely thunderous expression. Producing a letter from his inner pocket and shoved it in their faces. 

_ “Where is he?”  _ he demanded harshly.

Allura raised an eyebrow. “Well, welcome back. Where have you been?” she asked sarcastically, but Griffin was having nothing of it. 

_ “The new McClain --- where is he?!” _

__ Lance sighed heavily, beginning to understand that the theatre was full of drama queens who sang literally sing everything.  _ “What is it now?”  _ he half sang causing Griffin to zero in on him. 

_ “I have your letter,”  _ he spat,  _ “a letter which I rather resent.” _

__ Iverson turned to Lance.  _ “And did you send it?” _

__ _ “Of course not!”  _ Lance actually looked offended despite demanding the exact same thing less than a minute before.

“As if he would,” Veronica grumbled, wholly ignored by the group at large. 

Griffin actually looked a little taken aback like he couldn’t even comprehend the fact that Lance  _ hadn’t  _ written it.  _ “You didn’t send it?” _

__ _ “Of course not!” _

__ _ ‘What on earth is happening here?’  _ Allura mused, staring at their flock of panicky singing people. This never happened before she opened her doors to the Garrison. Musical numbers were strictly confined to the practice rooms and occasionally the barracks. 

__ _ “You dare tell me that this is not the letter you sent.”  _ Griffin demanded, turning to give the letter to Lance. 

Lance took it, staring at it with a disbelieving eye.  _ “And what is it I am meant to have sent?”  _ he unfolded the letter which bore the same seal as his own letter had. “Your days at the Altea Theatre and Opera House are numbered. Keith Kogane will be singing on your behalf tonight. Be prepared for a great misfortune should you attempt to take his place.” Lance actually looked offended at the idea that the message was written by him.

“See?” Griffin sneered. “Or perhaps it was Ms. Altea herself that sent the letter.”

And then because this entire event wasn’t circus enough already, Pidge burst through yet another set of doors looking rather frazzled. _ “Keith has returned.” _ She gasped out breathlessly, revealing that she had most likely run all the way here. 

_ “I trust his midnight oil is well and truly burned.”  _ Iverson grumbled.  _ “Where precisely is he now?” _

__ _ “I thought it best he went to bed.”  _ Pidge shook her head, walking forward to join the clump of people in the office. 

Lance zeroed in on Pidge. “May I see him?”

Pidge made a face at him, clearly displeased with Lance’s eagerness to get involved in what she no doubt deemed family matters. “No. He will see no one.”

Allura moved forwards to further enquire about her word’s state but Griffin interrupted her. Again.  _ “Will he sing? Will he sing?”  _

Pidge paused, seemingly debating whether to say something or not. “He came back with a note.” The room fell silent Allura held out her hand, patiently waiting for Pidge to hand over the note which she did, albeit visibly reluctant. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have now sent you several [notes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewr1msAdyBI&index=17&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn) detailing of the most amiable nature how the theatre  _ should  _ be run. You have not followed my instructions and I shall give you one last chance.” Allura pursed her lips, not quite liking where this note was going. The others also seemed… uneasy.  _ “Keith Kogane has returned to you and I’m anxious his career should progress. You will therefore cast James Griffin as the pageboy and put Mr. Kogane in the role of count consort. The role Mr. Kogane plays calls for charm and appeal. The role of the pageboy is silent which makes my casting in a word; ideal.  _ I shall watch the performance from my normal seat in box 5 - which will be kept empty for me. Should these commands be ignored, a disaster beyond you imagination will occur. I remain, your obedient servant. O.G.”

There was a beat of silence before suddenly Griffin was cursing up a storm.  _ “Keith! Of course! It’s all a ploy to help Keith! Why didn’t I see this before? Of course the son of the owner would get special treatment.”  _ he spat angrily. Whirling around in anger, Allura slapped him right across the cheek. 

“Insolent boy!” she hisses, “I should never have let you get away with how much you have.” and then in a very griffin-like move, she stormed out. “I can’t deal with any of you right now. I’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t look for me.” she declared.

_ “Who scorn his words beware to those. The angel sees, the angel knows.”  _ Pidge mumbled darkly.  _ “This house shall see your darkest fears. The angel knows, the angel hears.” _

A second later Pidge ran after her, leaving only the Garrison people behind. 

A scowl had settled over Iverson’s face as he turned to Griffin. ‘I dare not overstep too much since this  _ is  _ Ms. Altea’s theatre --- however I have no doubt you’ve been trained well and I understand that you’ve been lead actor here for many years You’ll play the count consort. While talented, Mr. Kogane lacks in experience from what I’ve heard.”

Griffin sniffed, looking unimpressed. “You better not be doing this just to appease me.”

Veronica fluttered around him, glancing over at her brother like she’d really rather that Lance didn’t see her act like this. She was usually so headstrong and confident but here she was fluttering around Griffin like the assistant that she was forced to be. 

 

_ [Prima Donna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBUlPqaVj88&list=PLDrYtDIGYKrKyjdhXNpojN5soSUgkg_rn&index=18) _

_ First man upon the stage _

_ Your devotees are one their knees to implore you _

_ Can you bow out when they’re shouting your name? _

_ Think of how they all adore you _

 

She began to sing, steering him down the hallway and towards the main stairwell where there would be a crowd to stroke Griffin’s ego.

 

_ Prima Donna  _

_ Enchant us once again _

_ Think of your muse _

_ And of your queues ‘round the theatre! _

_ Can you deny us the triumph in store? _

_ Sing Prima Donna once more _

 

The others walked after the duo, attracting attention from the dancers lurking in the halls as they passed. As if it were all planned, musicians jumped out of nooks and began to play along as Griffin smirked and began to sing. 

 

_ Prima Donna _

_ Your song shall live again _

_ You took a snub _

_ But there’s a public who needs you _

 

Veronica smiled, glad her strategy was working.  _ “Think of your public --- those who hear your voice liken you to an angel,”  _ she continued to assure.

Behind her, Lance frowned, adding his own voice to the chorus.  _ “They all speak of a monster, could this be the one who wrote to us?” _

 

_ “Think of their cry of undying support _

_ Follow where the limelight leads you _

_ Prima Donna _

_ Your song shall never die _

_ You’ll sing again _

_ And to an unending ovation _

 

Griffin grinned at the cheers around him glad to be on top once more. He’d always held some contempt for Keith and Keith being chosen to fill his part was a major blow. Iverson recognizing his talent was a boost however and this impromptu musical number was getting him back into the swing of things. 

Behind them, Lance was being a downer which was very unusual for him. There was something about this theatre and the people who lived there…  _ “Angel or madman,”  _ he wondered aloud,  _ “orders, warnings, lunatic demands! SUrely for his sake I must see these demands are rejected!”  _ Lance broke off from the happy crowd, leaving his sister to distract her charge while he left, all the while pondering the bizarre situation this theatre was in. Someone had to have sent the letters… but who? He’d threatened the theatre… Keith must be protected. 

He’d only met Keith the night before, but already, he was completely infatuated. Keith was an absolute marvel to see on the stage and he was just adorable when he blushed It also helped that his body was gorgeous. The fact that Keith had gone missing for at least 12 hours was very concerning seeing as before then --- according to everyone he’s spoken with since meeting Keith --- Keith had gone pretty much unnoticed. There was so much talk of the Phantom of the Opera Ghost. 

_ “There’s a game we have little hope to win.”  _ He stalked towards his assigned rooms, ignoring the stage hands that scurried past him as they prepared for the show that night.  _ “And in box 5 a new game will begin.” _

 

* * *

 

“Keith? Can I come in?” A muffled voice echoes from behind the closed doors. Keith rolled over in his bed, resisting the urge to bury his head under the blankets and just feign sleep. However it was Pidge, and he knew he’d worried her a lot when he disappeared right after the show. It wasn’t his fault, but all the same, he felt that he owed her some kind of explanation. What he really needed was someone to talk all of this over with. He was still a little shaken from what happened and he needed to get a second opinion on how Shiro acted. 

“Yeah. Come in.”

The door creaked open slowly, letting in a sliver of light as Pidge slid in through the crack and closed the door once again, locking it with a click. In her hands she held her ever-present notebook and a small candle. Setting the candle down on the bedside table beside his own weeping candle. Then she carefully sat down on the edge of his bed, facing away from him. This way it was a bit more awkward, but it felt less like a confrontation so Keith still felt more comfortable about it. 

“Where were you?”

He winced, not really expecting her to go for the hard questions right away, but he really should have. This was a loaded question and he told her so. ‘I don’t know for sure,” he whispered, “but I believe that it was somewhere below the theatre.”

“What happened?”

He burrowed deeper into the blankets. “I was washing off the make up from after the show when the lights went out. There’s a mirror in the dressing room with a false backing and then he appeared. He sang to me and his voice was… familiar. He took me down into a cave system until we reached his home. That’s where I found out that he really was Shiro. He smiled at me and let me see his face…” he trailed off, his voice softening as if he was telling a great and terrible secret. “It was like you said --- he was covered in scars and even missing an arm.”

Pidge tensed. “And he just let you go?”

To Keith, that seemed like a rather stupid thing to say. Of course Shiro let him go! He just wanted to reward and congratulate Keith face to face. It was nothing more… although Keith found that he wished more had happened even if at times it felt a little weird. It was Shiro, and Shiro would never hurt him. He’d been his closest friend for years. “Of course he let me go! What did you think happened? It’s Shiro, Pidge. He’d never hurt me --- you know this.”

Pidge turned back to look at him, the flames reflecting off of her glasses and hiding her eyes from view. “What was I supposed to think?” her voice was sharp; tired. “You just vanished and the last one to see you was  _ Lance McClain.  _ Then you have to consider the past couple of days. If that back drop had actually hit Griffin he could have died. Then you started talking about an angel… Shiro’s dangerous, Keith, and we don’t know what he wants with you. After those notes today---”

“Wait what notes?” he interrupted, sitting up abruptly Shiro hadn’t mentioned any of this when he’d dropped him off back at the theatre. 

Pidge frowned at him. “He didn’t tell you? I can’t really say that I’m surprised,” she admitted, sighing. “In you absence, we’ve received multiple letters signed O.G. --- Opera Ghost --- with threatening messages. One was sent to Lance McClain telling people not to look for you and warning us that we might never see you again. The other was sent to Griffin threatening him if he took the lead from you again. That’s not good, Keith.”

Keith pressed his lips together. He didn’t know what to think. Before last night Keith would not have thought that Shiro could be any kind of threatening. Even Griffin’s near accident couldn’t convince him of anything. Sure he’d known that Shiro was a little odd and if he thought too much on it he was confronted with the fact that this was a lot strange and to anyone but Keith. Still, Keith almost hero worshipped Shiro. It was kind of funny.

Then Griffin’s near accident happened and things began changing. Keith was a singer and had taken Griffin’s place on an opening night and Shiro stopped talking to him. That to Keith was the most concerning. Then Lance McClain had been pervy and annoying which lead to a reaction from Shiro (good signs?) but ended in an almost bittersweet manner.

Shiro had shown him his face, but at what cost? How will this change their relationship and will it really be for the better. There was still so many unknowns about Shiro… he didn’t know what to think about any of this. 

He licked his lips, wetting them nervously. “What are we planning on doing?: the Garrison students would have to be integrated with the other workers and cast but that would have to wait until the next show because they still had a couple shows left for this one. 

“You’ll be finishing the run for this show as the lead because Allura put her foot down and refuses to let Griffin have his way after his tantrum, so you better be ready for tonight’s show. You have another hour or so to prepare.” Pidge said in a matter of fact tone. “However in the next show you will still be playing the page boy while Griffin gets the consort, so sorry about that. He threw another fit and the Garrison personnel practically fell over themselves in their urge to please him. There was even a musical number; although there’s been an awful lot of those lately…”

That earned her a snicker and she smiled. 

“I don’t really mind not getting the main part, you know. It’s not that big of a deal.” he pointed out quietly, a small smile gracing the corners of his mouth.

Pidge snorted, “you deserve better, Keith.”

He shrugged. Maybe he did, either way, he needed to prepare for the show. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you soooo mcuh for reading and for the lovely comments that have been left on the first part. I have a passion for writing and i appreciate all of the feedback so much - since one day I do plan on writing and publishing my own original novel - so everything helps. Thank you for all the support. 
> 
> As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you are more than welcome to drop by in the comments below and I will do my best to answer! Subscribe if you want email notifications for when the third part comes out. I don't know when that'll happen because it's not really written yet past maybe 2000 words.


	3. My Honey, I Know

    Finally, it was time for opening night once more. This time, Griffin was to be back on centre stage and Keith was once more relegated to a non-speaking part.

    Throughout rehearsals, Shiro was once again absent, leaving Keith to wonder if he’d done something wrong again. Luckily, he didn’t have much time to dwell on things because Allura had charged him and Pidge with making sure that the Garrison students settled in properly. And on top of that, even though Keith didn’t even have a speaking part, he still had a lot of rehearsing to do with Griffin for his scenes. Keith also had an odd feeling about the show, so he and Pidge worked on him learning the consort’s part.

    Just in case.

   

    Still, it would be interesting. So much was… weird about the theatre and its atmosphere now. Heck, it would seem that everyone was waiting with _eager_ anticipation for the next act of the Phantom. One of the people that he _threatened_ actually seemed to be the most eager for something to happen. He seemed determined to tempt fate.

 

_It happened during one of the few breaks during rehearsals for Il Muto._

_Keith was stretching out his sore limbs while pidge dozed next to him. Allura was talking with Coran and Iverson about something while Lance watched with an odd look in his eye. Just when it looked like Allura was going to call everyone back to their places, Lance spoke up._

_“On opening nights, I plan on sitting in Box 5.” he declared proudly, which garnered a variety of reactions, the most prevalent being shock and horror._

_“Do you really think that’s wise, Monsieur?” Allura said, raising an eyebrow stiffly. “It would seem we’re already tempting fate. I doubt_ he _will be pleased with the role of his protégé, let alone his seat not being reserved. If you look through the ledger, you’ll find that Box 5 is always empty on opening night.”_

_Iverson looked rather scandalized. “Are you seriously following the supposed ‘ghost’s’ orders? I didn’t take you for a fool, Ms. Altea. I doubt he eve exists as anything more than a prankster seeking to make a fool out of us.”_

_Allura’s upper lip curled, “I assure you, he is very real.” She hissed. “I’d advise that you learn to hold your tongue when speaking of things that you do not understand. There are secrets in this theatre. Perhaps… it was a mistake to agree to host you.” She sniffed sharply before turning to bark orders at the exhausted dancers. Iverson scowled but didn’t say anything more. Lance merely looked confused, which Keith was beginning to understand was pretty much his default emotion._

    As for Keith, well, he was honestly just happy that Allura was defending Shiro. From what he understood, she was _aware_ of Shiro, so it only made sense that she would defend him from outsiders. The theatre community tended to stick together even if they hated each other. Keith was sure that griffin would even defend him if it was in the name of theatre vs. the world. Allura had never been crazy about Griffin, and she seemed to honestly dislike Iverson. Lance had also made an ass out of himself, so it made sense that she wasn’t crazy about him or his attitude. He’d taken to flirting with everyone --- in one memorable instance, he’d even flirted with Slav.

   

    (He’d also flirted with Coran and Allura simultaneously but with Allura flat out ignoring him and Coran responding almost too enthusiastically, no one really wanted to think too hard on all of that.)

 

    However, it would seem that he’d finally settled on one person even if he was still very flirtatious by nature. The main issue with this, is that the person he chose was Keith, who was 10 kinds of unresponsive He had no interest in the bizarre _thing_ that was Lance, but Lance was relentless. All throughout rehearsals Lance tried to dote on him while also remaining passive aggressive? Keith was very confused.

    He’d bring him water and insist that Keith took breaks, but he’d do it in an insulting way. Pidge claims that he was probably just doing it because that’s how he thinks he’s supposed to flirt with guys, but Keith wants none of it. Lance had somehow gotten it into his head that they were ‘rivals’ for some unknown reason and acted accordingly. Keith didn’t get it. There was nothing for them to fight about? It was all very odd.

    Rehearsals ran as smooth as they could with Iverson hovering _all the time_ , and the Garrison students being confusing. Griffin was good as always, but the jealousy Keith used to feel was gone, which was neat. Griffin may have the favour of the Garrison, but Keith had Shiro, and that was all that mattered.

    Keith was content to play the page boy and he was honestly just excited to be back on the stage and in the swing of things. It wasn't a bad play, and at the very least, the costumes were all very interesting. Griffin, for example, was stuck wearing a giant dress complete with a corset and a full wig. Keith only had to wear commoners’ clothes and a fancy vest. He didn’t even have to wear a wig because his hair was long enough to put in the customary ponytail. Keith’s feelings were still a jumble about Shiro, but things had pretty much returned to the status quo, so he couldn’t complain.

 

    Opening night sort of snuck up on everyone and before Keith could even catch his breath, he was on the stage and Griffin was delivering his lines like the diva that he is.

    Keith sat poised awkwardly on a large and lavish bed next to Griffin as they waited for their cue. Griffin held a fan aloft and covering their faces which were both heavily made up. They were both silent, aware that if they were to speak their voices would echo around the theatre like it was designed to do.

    In front of the curtains around the bed there were 4 performers; one a silent maid --- Pidge --- and the others were the Garrison trainees.

 _“They say that this youth has set my lord’s heart aflame!”_ a feminine voice giggled shrilly from the front of the stage and Keith could visibly see Griffin struggling to not make a face and crack his make up. It was one of Griffin’s old friends; Nadia Rizavi. She was a beautiful excitable girl and completely not Keith’s type even if he was into women. She was bubbly and was constantly fixing her glasses on her face. She was a dancer, but Keith thought that perhaps the dark-skinned girl might be better suited to singing as more than a chorus member. She was no bombshell phenomenal talent, but she was good.

 _“His lordship sure would die of shock!”_ a boy named Hunk Garrett sang excitedly. He was a heavy-set Samoan teen who just sort of brightened every room he was in. Pidge made fast friends with him and liked to complain about how close him and Lance were, so she actually had to talk to Lance in a civil manner.

    (Pidge apparently found Lance annoying but dealt with him because Hunk was ‘worth it.’)

 _“His lordship is a laughing stalk!”_ laughed Ryan Kinkade. It was weird to hear him laugh, but Keith had always assumed that the tall dark man just didn’t open up around him. He was close friends with Griffin and therefore biased against Keith. Keith didn’t hold it against him though. He was a pretty genuine guy, albeit intimidating.

 _“Should he suspect him, God protect him,”_ they all sung together, giggling like the high society rats they were pretending to be. _“Shame, shame, shame.”_

    Keith heard an odd amount of shuffling come from behind him and it took everything in him to not turn around. He suddenly had a bad feeling about all of this. Something was wrong but Keith didn’t know what. There was nothing that he could do anyways so… the show would just have to continue and all he could do was hope that nobody got hurt in the inevitable incident.

 

    The curtain rose abruptly, and Keith did like a little wiggle before Griffin snapped his fan shut and they both rose from the bed to reveal that Keith was wearing a disguise over his doublet so that he looked like a maid. He even pulled a feather duster from the duvet of the bed.

 _“Serafimo, your disguise is perfect!”_ Griffin purrs excitedly as he gestures to all of Keith with an artfully hidden sneer. He opened his mouth as if to say more, but then there was an exaggerated knocking sound from off stage. Griffin dramatically turned to look towards the sound. _“Why, who can this be?”_ he asked with a trill in his tone making him almost have an accent.

    On cue, a portly man entered the stage with a large grin painted on his face. “Gentle wife, it’s your loving husband!” he announced boisterously.

    Keith proceeded to busy himself with fake dusting while Griffin and the other man dicked around on the stage. His cue wasn’t until the man left and Griffin could return his attention to his page boy. Ew.

    Unfortunately, that time came all too soon and before Keith even knew what was happening, he was stripping off his skirt and posturing in front of the crowd in a handsome pair of breeches feeling like an idiot.

 _“Serafimo, away with this pretense!”_ Griffin purred moving elegantly towards Keith. _“You cannot speak but kiss me in my husband’s absence.”_ They both leaned forwards dramatically and Griffin covered the space in between them with his fan.

 

_[Poor fool he makes me laugh!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1EjvdffzIo&t=130s) _

_Ha ha ha ha ha ha…_

_Time I tried to get a better, better half!_

 

    Griffin began to sing, trilling happily as he moved to the front of the stage. Keith took his cue to begin to dance, joined by the ensemble as the song continued to awe the enraptured audience.

 

_Poor fool he doesn’t know!_

_Ho ho ho ho ho ho…_

_If he knew the truth, he’d never, ever go!_

 

    Griffin opened his mouth as if to continue singing when suddenly a booming voice echoed through the theatre. “Did I not instruct that Box 5 was to be kept empty?”

    Keith froze, his head snapping up to the rafters. He’d recognize that voice anywhere! It was Shiro. He finds himself whispering “it’s him,” almost excitedly as everyone in the audience looked around, searching for the source of the voice. “I know it’s him.”

    Griffin snapped his fan shut and glared sharply at Keith. “Your part is silent, little toad.” he sneered. He snapped his fingers and Veronica quickly ran onstage with a mouth spray immediately beginning to fuss over him.

    “A toad, monsieur? Perhaps it is you, who is the toad…”

    Ignoring the unsettling comment, Griffin and the orchestra set about starting the scene again as if nothing happened. _“Serafimo, away with this pretence!”_ he trilled again looking pointedly. _“You cannot speak but kiss me in my husband’s---”_ As soon as he got to the end of the line this absolutely horrendous croak was the only noise that escaped Griffin’s open mouth. The audience sat stunned as they watched Griffin nervously continue the song.

 

_[Poor fool he makes me laugh!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pevU_VAZpg&t=13s) _

_Ha ha ha---_

 

    He was cut off yet again by a loud echoing croak. To make matters worse, Griffin continued to try and sing, and he just continued croaking violently. Because audiences are cruel (and honestly it was kind of funny…) they burst into uproarious laughter.

    “Behold! He is singing to bring down the chandelier. Ha!”

    Shiro’s voice echoed and mocked even above the boisterous laughter as Griffin fled the stage. As things began to derail even further as no one knew what to do, a frazzled Allura and Iverson ran on the stage.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, the performance will continue in 10 minutes’ time… when the role of the count consort will be sung by Mr. Keith Kogane.” Allura said worriedly, glancing up at the rafters every couple of seconds.

    Iverson on the other hand looked rather pissed off but also deeply unsettled. “In the meantime, ladies and gentlemen, we shall be giving you the ballet from Act Three of tonight’s opera.” Iverson said, ignoring the very panicked look on Coran’s face as everyone on and offstage scrambled to recover from the sudden change. “Maestro --- the ballet, now!”

    Just as the music started, Keith was rushed offstage and 2 very panicked Garrison students rushed to adjust his make up and to get him into something closer to the count consort’s costume. Keith was suddenly very glad that Pidge had once again made him rehearse the part that Griffin had gotten. He knew it well enough so he hoped that he wouldn’t fuck up the rest of the show too badly.

    They had just finished, and Keith was ready to walk back out onstage to continue the show when suddenly Keith felt the inexplicable urge to look up. Trusting his instincts, he did; and just in time too. He managed to catch the exact moment that a hooded figure pushed Slav from the rafters. That action allowed the light to land on the startling metal arm that identified the hooded figure as Shiro.

    Slav seemed to fall almost in slow motion. He flailed as his head connected with the stage and he didn’t move. It was a bad fall. It wouldn’t surprise Keith if the fall had killed him.

    He didn’t really know how he felt about that. Slave wasn’t a good person (and annoying as fuck at that), but did that mean that he deserved to die?

    Keith didn’t know. All he knew was that Shiro was tilting his head up ever so slightly and pointing up. Shiro wanted to speak with him… Shiro wanted to speak with him on the roof.

    Without hesitating or even considering the idea that he might become Shiro’s next victim, he moved to run up the stairs as everyone panicked over the dead body on the stage.

    “Ladies and gentlemen. Please remain in your seats. Remain in your seats. It was an accident… simply an accident!” Allura yelled, her voice cutting through the chaos but already the noise was growing fainter as he neared the stairs to the roof.

    “Keith, wait! Where are you going?!” a voice yelled from behind him causing Keith to pause and turn to look behind him. Apparently, Lance had decided to leave Box 5 and run after him as was evident from both him actually being there and from how out of breath he looked.

    Keith frowned. “Why are you here?” he demanded.

    “Keith, someone was just killed on stage! I’m worried about you!” Lance yells indignantly, flailing wildly. “You can’t go back there!”

    Keith shook his head. “I’m going up to the roof.” He doesn’t really know why he’s telling Lance, but the odds are that he’d just keep following Keith unless he got a response. As it was, he wasn’t actually happy with the response that he did get.

    “No!” he yelled again as Keith turned to continue moving up towards the roof. “You can’t go up there. He’ll kill you! He’s dangerous and you’re the one he’s after.”

    To be fair, Lance did have a point, he was just looking at it from the wrong angle. Shiro would never hurt Keith, but it wasn’t like there was any way for Lance to know or even believe that considering Shiro had just caused a man to die.

    “His eyes can find us anywhere,” Keith pointed out, moving up the stairs and not letting Lance stop him. Shiro would no doubt be waiting for him. Lance chased after him, his footsteps loudly clanging against the metal staircase as he clumsily moved up the stairs.

 _“The Phantom of the Opera will kill and kill again!”_ he called desperately. When Keith ignored him, Lance continued to sing.

 

_My God who is this man?_

_Who hunts to kill_

_Who is the voice we hear_

_This force of will?_

 

_And in this labyrinth_

_Where night is blind_

_The Phantom of the Opera is there_

_Inside our minds_

 

    Keith continued to storm away from Lance but eventually he ran out of room to flee and they both burst onto the root, the cold air nipping at their skin.

    Keith whirled around to stare at Lance in a huff as Lance grabbed his arm to further stop his retreat. “But Keith, what if there’s no Phantom at all, merely just a man.”

    “I don’t see how that’s relevant.” Keith scowled, shaking his arm in hopes of dislodging Lance, but to no avail.

    “If he’s just a man, then we can find him.” Lance continued desperately. “We can hunt him down and make all of this fear stop.”

    Keith wrenched his arm from Lance with a tiny glare. “So, what if he’s a man. Slav’s death was an accident. How do we even know that we’re the good guys here? None of this ever happened before you Garrison folk arrived. How do I know that this isn’t all your fault and you people are trying to destroy the Altea Theatre and scare us?!” Keith demanded all rapid fire. Lance was making Shiro out to be some beastly villain when in reality Shiro was just defending them. The Garrison were outsiders --- intruders. They were messing with things.

 

_Lance, I’ve been there_

_I’ve seen him_

_Lance I’ve been there_

_To his world of unending night_

_To a world where the daylight dissolved into_

_Darkness_

_Darkness_

 

_But his voice fills my spirit_

_With a strange sweet sound_

_In the night there is music in my mind_

_And through music, my soul began to soar_

_And I heard as I’ve never heard before_

 

    Keith tried to convey how awe inspiring his first time really meeting Shiro had been, but Keith had never been good with words. It was all coming off so wrong and Keith could see how he was losing Lance.

 

_Yet in his eyes_

_All the sadness of the world_

_Those pleading eyes_

_That both threaten and adore_

    Lance reached forwards and carefully took Keith’s hands in his own. “Aw, c’mon, Keith. Don’t be like that. You’re just frightened… and rightfully so!” Lance said, unknowingly patronizing. They were the same age. He shouldn’t be like this.

 

_No more talk of darkness_

_Forget these wide-eyed fears_

_I’m here_

_Nothing can harm you_

_My words will warm and calm you_

 

    Keith gently tried to remove his hands from Lance’s grasp, but Lance just tugged him closer and continued to sing.

 

_Let me be your freedom_

_Let daylight dry your tears_

_I’m here_

_With you_

_Beside you_

_To guard you and to guide you_

 

    Keith finally wrenched himself from Lance’s grip and turned to look at him in confusion. What was all this nonsense that he was singing about. He had a nice warm voice, but it didn’t stop Keith from noticing that this was very much a love song. Why was he singing Keith a love song?

     “What do you want me to say?” Keith demanded. “I barely know you and I feel like romance isn’t really important right now,” he tried to get his point across, but Lance continued to push, stalking forward as if to pull Keith into a dance.

 

_Say you’ll love me every waking moment_

_I’ll turn your head with talk of summertime_

_Say you need me with you now and always_

_I promise you that all I claim is true_

_It’s[all I ask of you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy1lWiHHHFY)  
_

 

    Keith stepped away, very put off by the intenseness of Lance’s promise and requests. He’s acting like they’re the protagonists in some great love story. He spoke like a naive romantic although Keith doubted that Lance even knew what romantic love was. They were no Romeo and Juliet --- love stories based on circumstances and chance meetings never end well!

    Their relationship was too distant and one sided. Lance thought he knew Keith? What a foolish mistake.

 

_Let me be your shelter_

_Let me be your light_

_You’re safe_

_No one will find you_

_Your fears are far behind you_

 

    Lance tried again, not giving up in his pursuit despite Keith’s lackluster responses. Keith crossed his arms and pointedly turned away from Lance. He just wasn’t getting that Keith wasn’t interested! Although… he had no admit that what Lance promised sounded really nice. However, Keith couldn’t trust Lance even if he seemed nice and honest. There were no guarantees and there was always a catch. Despite Keith’s better judgement, he opened his mouth and began to sing.

 

_All I want is freedom_

_A world with a kinder night_

_And someone_

_Always beside me_

_To hold me and to hide me_

 

    He admitted out loud. He wanted someone who could love him for who he was. Someone who can protect him from the cruelties of the world. It was a naive wishful want, but that doesn't mean it isn’t what Keith craves. He sang as much, but what wasn’t expressed through his lyrics was that someone he wanted was Shiro.

   

_Then say you’ll share with me_

_One love, one lifetime_

_Let me lead you from your solitude_

 

    Lance obviously took his words to mean that despite his actions. He was actually interested because he grinned and yet again, offered Keith a fantasy romance with him.

 

_Just say you need me with you here_

_Beside you_

_Anywhere you go let me go to_

_Keith, that’s all I ask of you!_

 

    Keith flinched. That was a lot for Lance to ask of Keith and even if Keith didn’t have _something_ with Shiro, then he still wouldn’t be able to give Lance what he’s asking for.

 

    “I need to be alone right now. You need to return to the theatre to help Allura and Iverson with the fallout. I’ll be okay up here.” Keith murmured, staring over the edge of the roof and hugging himself.

    “But what about you? You’ll be all alone. What if _he_ attacks?” Lance demanded, still looking reluctant despite no doubt knowing that his duty was elsewhere. He wanted to stay with Keith.

    “I’ll be fine. I can handle myself.”

    A beat of silence and then footsteps echoed as Lance’s footsteps had truly faded away before speaking. “Shiro?” he whispered, almost scared to talk. He was just so confused about everything and all he wanted was answers. The one thing that he knew for certain though, that Shiro was doing this for him.

    He really didn’t know how he felt about that.

 

    He stood silently for many moments before there was the sound of fabric flapping in the wind coming from behind him. He whirled around, freezing as soon as he caught sight of Shiro crouched beside one of the large gargoyle statues on the roof walkway.

    “Hello Keith.” Shiro greeted softly, his voice warm and familiar, going a long way to easy any of Keith’s misgivings. He wasn’t in one of his strange mods right now, which means that he was much easier to talk to.

     “Shiro,” Keith repeated, taking a couple steps forward to approach his mentor. “What happened? What was all that about?” he asked, throwing caution to the wind in favour of getting answers. “Everyone is going to think you’re dangerous now! You… you killed someone!”

    Shiro’s facial expression was unreadable. “He deserved it. Slave was never going to stop harassing people --- you know this.” Shiro said blankly. He jumped from his perch, landing solidly on the ground just in front of Keith with his cape billowing behind him dramatically. (Keith had a brief moment of realization that were it not for Shiro’s facial scars, he would have made a fantastic Byronic hero in a play.) “As for what happened---” Shiro’s voice changed again, his eyes darkening with an unknown intense emotion. “---well they didn’t follow my instructions even though Allura should know better. The Garrison have no business interfering. They shouldn’t have a say. It’s out of the kindness of Allura’s heart that they’re even performing.”

    “But… did you really have to kill him in the middle of the show?” Keith asked. “I mean, Slav was trash --- I know what he’s done --- but it’s going to cause problems for the theatre.” ‘And for you,’ he wanted to add. He had no idea if Shiro ever planned on reincorporating himself back into the theatre life as more than a Phantom, but Keith would like it if he didn’t have a murder charge on his name if he did choose to reveal himself.

    “They weren’t going to listen otherwise.” Shiro said pragmatically. “What were you doing up here with Lance?” he asked abruptly, changing the subject with a dangerous glint in his eye.

    Keith instantly knew that he’d need to tread carefully. He distinctly remembered his own reaction to the very idea that Shiro would choose Griffin over him. Shiro was apparently just as possessive as him, so he obviously wouldn’t like Keith being up here alone with Lance. Especially after his appearance in Keith’s dressing room also sparked their first face to face interaction. Keith needed to clear things up as much as possible as soon as possible. He couldn’t have Shiro thinking that he wanted Lance.

    “Nothing happened,” he said quickly. “I was on my way to meet you, but he saw and followed me.” Shiro’s frown deepened. Keith took a deep breath and decided to take a chance. Carefully, he reached out and took Shiro’s metal hand in his own and gently brushed the fingers of his other hand across Shiro’s jawline.

 

_Say you’ll share with me_

_One love, one lifetime_

_Say the word and I will follow you_

_Share each day with me_

_Each night_

_Each morning_

_Say you love me…_

 

    Keith trailed off uncertainly, letting his hand drop from Shiro’s face as he made eye contact with the taller man. His more human eye was watering and there was an oddly tender look on his face. _“You know I do…”_ he sang softly. Keith felt like a burden had been removed from his shoulders and he grinned unabashedly.

    Shiro loved him too!

 

_[I gave you my music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t75STnoaR1w) _

_Made your song take wing_

_And now, how you’ve repaid me_

_Trusting me and loving me_

 

    Shiro’s face suddenly darkened again and his grip on Keith’s hand tightened.

 

_But he was bound to love you_

_When he heard you sing---_

    Keith took a leap of faith and pulled Shiro into a furious kiss, breaking it only when he needed air to breath. He leaned into Shiro’s large frame, silencing him momentarily. “You know I don’t want him. I… I love _you_.” he insisted.

    “Be careful, Keith.” Shiro murmured into Keith’s hair. “I don’t like how he looks at you. I don’t trust him.”

    Keith smirked. “I can take care of myself.”

    Shiro shook his head. “I know. But you shouldn’t have to.” he insisted.

   

    “I have to go back. They’ll be looking for me.” Keith said simply, pulling away reluctantly from Shiro and heading back towards the stairs. He passed at the doorway, not turning back to look at Shiro out of fear that he selfishly wouldn’t be able to leave Shiro’s side again. “Please don’t go silent on me again.” And then he fled before Shiro had the chance to respond.

 

* * *

 

    Apparently, by the time Keith made it back to the stage they’d cleared out the theatre of its audience and the employees of the theatre were all gathered around Slav’s body. Everyone was still in costumes and makeup. No one was crying although a couple Garrison students did look like they were going to be sick. However, there was a couple dancers who looked almost gleeful as they stared down at the pool of blood by Slav’s head. It hadn’t been a far enough fall for his head to shatter like a melon, but it’d still been enough to kill.

    Allura stood over his corpse with a stone-cold look on her face. She wasn’t exactly sad that he was dead as it saved her the time and energy it would take to (finally) fire him. However, it did mean that she’d have to deal with Slav’s corpse. Fortunately for the theatre, outwardly, it was very obviously all due to an accident. No outside of the theatre suspected foul play because if there was one thing that Allura was good at, it was PR and NDAs. This was all accomplished by Allura being a literal goddess of course. She’d no doubt taken care of any reporters or loud-mouthed audience members. After all, they may be humble theatre owner’s, but the Altea name held a lot of power.

    “Keith, where were you?” she asked coolly, rising from where she knelt beside Slav’s corpse. “I was worried.”

    Keith sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “Everything was really chaotic, and I knew I would only get in the way. I went up to the roof to cool down.” he lied, a bit concerned about how easily he lied to the woman who’d taken him in. Allura pursed her lips but didn’t comment on whether or not she believed him.

    “Allura, what are we gonna do about this situation?” Iverson demanded harshly. “Someone was just murdered! We must find out who did this!”

    “It was the Phantom!” Lance added in his own 2 cents. “I just know it. We need to find him and take him down!”

    This started whispers and murmurs to be passed around the crowd. The Garrison students looked like they agreed with their fellow people however the legitimate Altea employees looked damn near mutinous which was a surprise. Almost before Keith’s eyes, a divide began to form between the people who believed that the Phantom needed to be taken down and those who didn’t. Both Allura and Pidge were amongst the group that supported the Phantom, which was both surprising and not at the same time.

    It was an _accident_.” Allura hissed loudly, shutting everyone up. “Slav was no doubt looking for the Phantom and lost his footing. It’s happened before and I honestly doubt that that’ll be the last time it happens.”

    Lance wasn’t willing to let it go though. “Keith! You were backstage when it happened! Surely you saw _something_.” Lance demanded desperately, not willing to let the idea of hunting the Phantom go, even though more people seemed to be against him. It was basically the theatre people (not including Griffin) vs. the Garrison folks.

    “There was no phantom,” Keith stated firmly. “Slav simply lost his footing.” Keith lied easily. He might not condone murder, but he wasn’t about to implicate Shiro. Admitting that he’d seen Shiro push Slav would only make people want to hunt him down more. Keith couldn’t have that.

    “I was there too!” a dancer suddenly burst out from behind Keith and he felt his blood run cold. Shit. He hadn’t even considered that someone else might have seen. He was about to get exposed and it took everything in him to not panic outwardly. “There was no other person up there when Slav fell. He just tripped over a rope.” the girl continued confidently.

    Keith felt the floor damn near fall out from under him as relief swept through his system. No matter how bad the lighting was, or what angle one stood at, seeing Shiro up there from backstage was a certainty. His metal arm alone made his presence obvious. Keith counted his lucky stars that no Garrison students had been on that side of the stage. They had seen nothing. And if they did… well it looks like they were keeping their mouths shut for the time being.

    All the same, this girl had just lied to everyone by claiming she saw no one. What on earth? Why?

    “Yeah!” Another dancer spoke up. “I didn’t see anyone either. But all the same, do any of us really care that he’s dead? He’s a rapist! He deserved whatever he got.” she concluded in a huff. “I tell ya, none of me and my girls are gonna miss him.”

    Lance actually had the audacity to look scandalized by all of the support that the Phantom was getting. To a guy like him and from his point of view, it was probably damn near inconceivable that people would support someone he saw as a murderer and a threat.

    Keith was grateful even if he didn’t understand why any of this was happening or what reason that the others had for supporting him and Shiro. None of them had even spoken to the other man. If Keith wasn’t so relieved, he’d be very perplexed.

    “Slav will not be missed.” Pidge said with a certain sense of finality. “We’ll organize funeral and burial arrangements, but I move that we do nothing of the Phantom. He was never a problem before the garrison interference, so it would make sense that once you guys get used to the status quo and stop meddling with Keith, everything will be fine.”

    “Please,” Pidge scoffed. “If I wanted Griffin gone, I’d do it in much more obvious way. This is all just a warning. I wouldn’t give you that courtesy.”

    There was an awkward silence as everyone’s eyes slipped back to Slav’s corpse.

    “Yeah,” Lance laughed bitterly. “This is a warning.”

 

* * *

 

    “So, do you have a date to the ball yet?”

    Keith rolled his eyes as he stalked away from Lance as he moved to grab another drink of water. He didn’t even bother to give me Lance a response and continued ignoring him.

    “Oh, come on!” Lance whined loudly, “you can’t still be angry about what happened after Slav was murdered.”

    Keith flipped his hair and continued to walk away. “Slav’s _accident_ ,” he corrected sharply. “And of course, I’m still mad! You didn’t exactly respect my boundaries.”

    It had been about a week since what was dubbed The Incident and already Allura, Coran, and Iverson were planning another publicity stunt to help recover from Slav’s death. The theatre would be hosting a masquerade ball to help raise funds. All of the Altea family’s old allies would be coming and so would more Garrison folk. Every actor and staff member was required to attend and with Keith both being Allura’s heir (unfortunately destined to be partners with Lance) --- Keith taking a more active role in the theatre, Allura had taken action in officially naming him her heir much to Iverson’s distaste considering he’d wanted none power in the theatre through his students --- and the current lead actors, he was going to be rather important.

    He had to look perfect. Allura had already commissioned a suit for him and had given him the package with a wink which made Keith _very_ suspicious, but he had to roll with it. It would look very good for Lance and Keith to go to the ball together, but Shiro had accepted Keith’s confession. There was no way he was going to throw away his chance just to appease Iverson. Allura hadn’t yet told him what to do and considering the fact that the ball was the next night, she wasn’t going to do anything.

    Keith suspected that she knew a lot more than she let on.

    “No, I don’t have a date but I’m _not_ going to be going with you.”

    Lance pouted but after a stern glare from Pidge who was over conversing with Veronica, he finally dropped it. “At the very least, save me a dance.” he pleaded one last time. Keith just ignored him again. As much as he hated it, he needed to get a head start on the beauty process.

    He ignored Lance’s squawking as he left her room without so much as looking back.

 

* * *

 

    Keith stood at the entrance of the bathroom, intensely uncomfortable and wanting nothing more than to leave. He was all dolled up in an outfit not reminiscent of the one he’d worn in his first major performance.

    He had on tight white breeches and a white dress shirt along with a tasteful black best. His tailed overcoat was dyed a bright red that matched the red eyeshadow and lip stain he had on. This time, Keith had on a pair of black gloves and a belt with a saber draped crookedly across his hips. His hair was done up in a low ponytail and he wore knee high black riding boots, although these ones had a bit more heel.

    When he’d gone out his dressing room to get ready, there’d been a small package with a wax seal waiting on the vanity and in it had been a necklace. Hanging on a sturdy chain was a single dark metal charm. It was an odd symbol that Keith vaguely remembered seeing on Shiro’s desk. It was shaped almost like the front of a helm or the silhouette of an artistic dagger. Keith wire it in the place of a tie, leaving the top few buttons of his shirt undone to expose his collar bones. The most peculiar part of his entire ensemble was the red triangle markings that Allura had painstakingly painted onto his cheeks.

    Pidge claimed that he looked quite dashing, but Keith just felt unsure. It was one thing being stared at while he was on the stage, it was another when he had to actually interact with people.

    Luckily, that’s when Pidge noticed his discomfort and came bounding over. She wore a lovely green dress along with a small pair of black dancers’ shoes that clicked across the tile floor. Her hair was done up in a lovely curled up do and she was for once not wearing her brother’s glasses which just made her eyes look bigger despite all logic. She too, had triangles painted on her cheek bones which were a lovely emerald green to match her makeup. Her lips were painted a much more subdued pink than Keith’s own bright red. She grinned happily at him before latching onto his arm and dragging him toward the table of food. “Come on, you wallflower! Socialize a little.” she yelled before shoving a chocolate éclair into his mouth despite valiant protests.

    “Monsieur Keith,” Pidge jokingly bowed, offering him a platter of appetizers.

    “Mademoiselle Pidge,” Keith answered in turn, graciously accepting one. _“Dear Pidge, what a splendid party.”_ he sang softly.

 _“The prologue to a bright new year!”_ she giggled, joining him in singing and drawing the eyes and ear of those close enough to hear.

 _“Quite a night, I’m impressed.”_ he mocked, standing stiffly and sticking his nose in the air to put on a stuffy appearance.

    Pidge bowed deeply, _“well one does one’s best!”_

 _“Here’s to us!”_ they toasted, tapping their éclairs against each other before devouring them in a single bite.

 _“I must say all the same, that’s a shame that Phantom fellow isn’t here.”_ Pidge looked up at him slyly through her lashes and Keith didn’t bother designing that with a response.

 

    They were steadily making their way through an entire plate of chocolate confections when suddenly Keith felt eyes on him. He froze mid-laugh and turned to see that Lance was making his way towards them, a flute of champagne held aloft while his other hand was tucked formally behind his back. “Keith!” he called, smiling brightly and Keith resisted the urge to scowl. Frown cracks in his foundation would cause Allura to have an aneurism.

    Lance was wearing an outfit very reminiscent in style of Keith’s own suit. The only real differences were the colour scheme and cut of the suit. Lance’s was all blue and white while Keith’s was red, white, and black. Lance also had gold metal accents while Keith’s were a gunmetal grey. Lance also had on considerably less makeup than Keith or Pidge. He only had on a small bit of eyeliner and blue triangles painted under his eyes. Pidge didn’t look too happy about those based on the way that she was glaring at them. It must have been something last minute.

    He groaned quietly before turning to greet Lance now that he was within an arm's’ distance and therefore unavoidable. It would look bad for Keith to snub Lance so publicly, and so, he would be forced to be polite. Tragic.

    “Lance,” he greeted in turn, raising his éclair in a mock salute.

    “You look amazing in red.” Lance grinned, unperturbed. “Would you give me the honour of giving me your first dance?” he bowed chivalrously, smirking like he texted Keith to agree without complaint. To be fair, he had a good strategy. Keith couldn’t just outright say ‘no’ when all the eyes in the ballroom seemed to suddenly be on him.

    “Um…” he said awkwardly, stalling. He didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t offend Lance too much and therefore commit a social faux-pas. He couldn’t exactly use the basic excuse of “I don’t dance’ because Keith is a dancer. He couldn’t even argue that he didn’t know ballroom dances because Allura had made it a point to have remedial lessons with everyone to make sure that everything at the ball went off without a hitch.

    Keith opened his mouth to respond but that’s when dancers began to gather around the grand staircase in their gaudy outfits with their masks on. The performance was about to start then. “We should get our masks on.” he said instead, pulling out his own half mask and settling it across his upper face. It was done as a stylized black lion with the eyes open enough to not make his makeup a waste of time.

    Pidge pulled out her own half mask, hers based on a green toned peacock. Lance’s was a simple theatre mask, but the crude smile looked a little odd only covering the left half of his face and didn’t really conceal his identity at all.

 

_[Masquerade!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvkAM1FOnAk) _

_Paper faces on parade_

_Masquerade!_

_Hide your face_

_So the world will never find you!_

 

_Masquerade!_

_Every face a different shade_

_Masquerade!_

_Look around_

_There’s another mask behind you!_

 

    The orchestra began, lighting up the ballroom with activity and energy. Everyone paused to watch the spectacle happening in the centre of the room with smiles across the visible parts of their faces.

    Lance held out his hand in invitation. “Come on, just one dance?”

    Keith stared at the offered appendage like it was a snake that would bite him the second he touched it. He didn’t want to dance with Lance. He didn’t hate Lance, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to get that close to the other teen. He didn’t trust Lance to have appropriate control of his wandering hands. Luckily, he was saved from having to respond yet again by someone walking up to them and coming to rest a step behind Keith.

    Even at that distance it was apparent that he towered over Keith. “I’m afraid his first dance is currently taken. In fact, all of them are, so if you could stop making my date uncomfortable.” a smooth voice stated. It was deep and Keith immediately knew who it was. He turned to look behind him, a grin unwittingly making its way onto his face.

    “Shiro,” he greeted happily, almost believing that this was a dream. Shiro stood behind him in a grand black suit complete with a half shoulder cape. The entire suit was black, the only contrast being provided was from silver buttons and accents. He wore a half mask like the rest of them, although his was white and shaped like a skull. Admittedly it did cover all of his facial scars. His floof of white hair was clearly visible and characterized him as Shiro to Keith. Shiro had also apparently done something about his one eye because only his human eye was visible.

    All in all, he made quite a striking and simultaneously intimidating figure.

 

_Flash of mauve…_

_Splash of puce…_

_Fool and king…_

_Ghoul and goose…_

_Green and black…_

_Queen and priest…_

_Trace of rouge…_

_Face of beast…_

 

_Faces…_

_Take your turn_

_Take a ride_

_On the merry-go-round in an inhuman race_

 

    Pidge’s eyes went as round as dinner plates as she stared up at Shiro, recognition flitting across her face at the sound of Shiro’s name. Keith could practically see the gears turning in her head as she connected what she knew of Shiro and the Phantom to the man in front of her. Her hand raised halfway to point at him before she caught herself and blushed in embarrassment. She got over it very quickly though, because in the next, she was staring intently at Shiro and trying to analyze everything.

    Keith was willing to be that if she had been allowed to bring her notebook, she would be frantically scribbling down every observation she could possibly make. As it was, she would just commit it to memory.

 

_Thigh of blue…_

_True is false…_

_Who is who…?_

_Curl of lip…_

_Swirl of gown…_

_Ace of hearts…_

_Face of clown…_

 

_Faces…_

_Drink it in_

_Drink it up_

_Till you’ve drowned_

_In the light_

_In the sounds…_

 

    “I thought you said you didn’t have a date.” Lance murmured, looking confused and a bit heartbroken. Keith just shrugged and hooked his arm through Shiro’s.

    Shiro smirked down at him. “So, what do you say, Keith.” he purred. “How about we join the festivities?”

 

_Masquerade!_

_Grinning yellows_

_Spinning reds_

_Masquerade!_

_Take your fill_

_Let the spectacle astound you_

 

_Masquerade!_

_Burning glances_

_Turning heads_

_Masquerade!_

_Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you!_

 

    “Yes. Let’s go.” Keith agreed, taking Shiro’s offered hand and walking with him to join the other couples in dancing along with the performers Keith had faith that Shiro knew the dance and that faith payed off as they whirled around gracefully on the dance floor. They turned heads and made him quite the handsome couple. Keith with his bright colour and Shiro providing a dark balance. They looked like a shadow and human dancing together which wasn’t all that inaccurate. Shiro was a calm and soothing presence, which quickly had Keith relaxing into the familiar movements and actually beginning to enjoy himself.

 

_Masquerade!_

_Seething shadows_

_Breaking lies_

_Masquerade!_

_You can fool any friend who ever knew you!_

 

_Masquerade!_

_Leering satyrs_

_Peering eyes_

_Masquerade!_

_Run and hide_

_But a face will still pursue you_

 

    Keith chose to ignore the ominous and vaguely threatening lyrics in favour of talking to Shiro. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d show your face.” he asked, earning himself a smile from the man he was dancing with.

    “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dance with you. And besides, I had to save you from Lance.” Shiro joked, smiling with a genuine happy light in his eyes. Keith relaxed even more. It really was Shiro, not the other that Keith had seen kill Slav.

    “I’m glad.” Keith smiled, leaning closer to Shiro.

    Shiro shrugged sheepishly and shifted his gaze from Keith to look around the ballroom. “I’m afraid that I will have to leave you at some point tonight. I have some business to attend to.” Keith nodded, knowing by now that Shiro wouldn’t want Keith asking questions. If Keith needed to know then Shiro would have told him. He trusted his mentor.

    They continued to spin and dance like they had been dancing together for years while more and more couples went to sit down. Soon enough, it was only Keith and Shiro left on the dance floor along with the performance ensemble and the orchestra. As they whirled past people, Keith was able to catch snippets of conversation.

 _“What a night,”_ Allura sang happily while eating with Pidge.

 _“What a crowd,”_ \--- that was Pidge agreeing.

_“What a relief that is all behind us.”_

 

_Masquerade!_

_Paper faces on parade_

_Masquerade!_

_Hide your face_

_So the world will never find you!_

 

_Masquerade!_

_Every face a different shade_

_Masquerade!_

_Look around_

_There’s another mask behind you!_

 

    Shiro spun him again before doing a series of complicated lifts which had the crowd oohing and aahing in awe at the display of strength and skill before them.

    He threw him up in the air once more and caught him in a deep dip much to the pleasure of the crowd. Once the applause had died down, Shiro helped Keith up before kneeling and kissing Keith’s gloved hand delicately. Then in a whirl of black fabric, he stalked away, disappearing into the crowd, leaving Keith done in the middle of the ballroom floor.

 

_Masquerade!_

_Burning glances_

_Turning heads_

_Masquerade!_

_Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you!_

 

_Masquerade!_

_Grinning yellows_

_Spinning reds_

_Masquerade!_

_Take your fill_

_Let the spectacle astound you_

 

    Keith stood alone for a moment, absorbing what had just happened before moving towards Pidge and Allura.

    All the dancers had gathered on the grand staircase for those last choruses to dramatically dance together. But just as they were singing, suddenly, all the lights in the room went out and the orchestra’s beautiful music dissolved into just a loud wall of sound.

    In a split second, the lights were back on, revealing the absolute chaos that the room had dissolved into in that split second. All of the dancers had fallen over themselves and were lying in a heap at Keith’s fact. All the chandeliers were hovering mere inches around the floor, making it virtually impossible to get to Keith in a timely manner. There was even a chandelier hovering inches above his head.

    At the very top of the stairs stood a figure --- a very familiar figure. It was Shiro. He was the one who did this. This was the business that Shiro had to attend to.

    (At Least Shiro didn’t break any of the chandeliers in his scare tactic.)

 

_[Why so silent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mON5dbdm63M), good Messieurs?_

_Did you think that I had left you for good?_

 

    Shiro’s voice echoed through the hall as the orchestra apparently got their shit together and started playing an ominous march as Shiro moved to descend the stairs dramatically.

 

_Have you missed me, good Messieurs?_

 

    Shiro smiled, flashing his abnormally sharp teeth at his stunned audience. The orchestra (seriously, did he give the orchestra new music?!) continued to play its dark tune, emphasizing Shiro’s presence and almost making it seem like he was larger than life.

 

_I have written you an opera!_

_Here I bring the finished score ---_

_“Don Juan Triumphant”_

 

    Shiro proudly proclaimed as he duped a large manuscript on the floor for all to see. It landed on the ground with an audible thump that had people flinching and sent others scurrying away. Lance had moved closer to Pidge and Allura and was glaring at Shiro with a fire in his soul that Keith has never seen in him before. As if sensing Lance’s glare, Shiro unsheathes his own sword and points it at Lance before staring down at Lance before staring down everyone else in the room.

 

_Fondest greetings to you all!_

_A few instructions just before rehearsal starts:_

 

    He hissed, moving the sword until it flicked against the buttons on Griffin’s jacket. Griffin had fallen at the very front of the dancer heap and sat trapped in terror as the sharp sword threatened to remove the button he was toying with.

 

_James Griffin must be taught to act_

_Not his normal trick of strutting around the stage_

 

    Here, Shiro turned from a shocked Griffin to point at Hunk, his sneer turning almost apologetic.

 

_Our Don Juan must lose some weight_

_It’s not healthy in a man of Hunk Garrett’s age_

_And your Iverson must learn_

_That his place is in the army_

_Not the arts_

 

    Shiro glared sharply at the man who looked infuriated while Hunk just looked understanding. Good man.

    Finally, Shiro turned to stare at Keith who was essentially stuck alone. His expression became unreadable and Keith stepped backwards slightly. Shiro was acting all weird again. And the black void that had been his weird eye was glowing yellow again. Keith didn't understand what Shiro was doing.

    “And as for our star, Mr. Keith Kogane,” Shiro purred.

 

_No doubt he’ll do his best_

_It’s true, his voice is good_

_He knows, though_

_Should he wish to excel_

_He has much still to learn_

_If pride will let him return to me_

_His teacher_

_Hist teacher…_

 

    Shiro managed to weave his way through the chandeliers until he stood toe to toe with Keith. Keith gulped, holding his breath as he stared up at Shiro’s eyes. Shiro reached towards him with one gloved hand, touching the necklace Keith wore and smirked slightly.

    “Did you like your gift?” he asked softly --- so softly that the other in the room hadn’t heard even in the tense silence. “It’s a symbol from ancient Altean history.”

    Keith didn’t answer. “What are you doing?” he asked softly, reaching up to clutch at Shiro’s shirt.

    Shiro quirked his lips and took a step back and sent a piercing stare around the ballroom.

 

_Your chains are still mine_

_He belongs to me!_

 

    And then Shiro seemed to disappear yet again as everyone stood silently in shock. The pause continued before Pidge suddenly broke it with a smirk.

    “Wow, Keith. You really know how to pick ‘em.”

**Author's Note:**

> titles from Tonight You Belong to Me by Patience and Prudence (I'm pretty sure that's just a cover, but I literally found it off an animatic so there goes any credibility I have)
> 
> Plot based around the storyline of Phantom of the Opera and I got most of my shit from the 2004 movie as much as it wounds my soul. Inaccuracies are due to me not actually having watched the movie since 2014 and the fact that I had to push some things to fit my own version of the narrative.
> 
> If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, then I will be happy to address them in the comments below! I always love to hear from readers! Subscribe if you want email notifications on when I post the next part.


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